Hobbled Kyrie Irving puts up 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 5 assists in Game 5

[RedBlackAttack]

Really courageous performance by KI tonight. The way he had looked in the prior two games, I was wondering if he should even be playing. He still has almost no bounce and/or lift, but he was able to lean on his array of skills to be a difference-maker.

Major kudos to the kid tonight. This was by far the biggest game of his career (as every game will be from this point onward) and he showed his worth.

I just can't help but wonder what he could be doing if he hadn't hurt the foot against Boston and re-aggravated it early in this series. It felt like this was going to be a special playoff run for him prior to that.

Well, I guess it could still be special, but in a different way. Showing a lot of mettle out there.

[1~Gibson~1]

He's been enjoyable to watch in home games, and the counter opposite in road games.

Tonight he definitely came through by making big shots and being a threat throughout the game. I was still able to tell that he wasn't 100% though.

If he goes cold in the first half on Thursday, i'd like to see Delly get more minutes than him in the second half. Delly's been coming up big in this series.

[navy]

He plays no defense though.

[Lebron23]

That is what you called heart and playing through injuries.

[red1]

I am definitely a fan. This kid is special

[RedBlackAttack]

He plays no defense though.
The fact that he's playing period is a testament to the kid's toughness. He's visibly hurt. Still, he made some defensive plays down the stretch. Yeah, he can be taken advantage of in isolation situations because his lateral movement is almost nonexistent at this point. But, he's battling and -- in general -- he has been in the right place defensively.

I mean, he was on the floor for the entire finish of tonight's game and the Bulls were having a very difficult time scoring in the last couple minutes. That was great team defense and he was one part of the five guys on the court.

With what he is still able to contribute offensively -- even in such a hobbled state -- there's no doubt whatever he is giving up defensively is made up for offensively.

[TheMan]

If only my team had half his heart :(

[TheMan]

He plays no defense though.
Not needed against the Bulls

[24-Inch_Chrome]

Not needed against the Bulls

:oldlol:

Towards the end of the second or third quarter (can't remember which), the camera panned to Thibs's face after an offensive miscue and he looked like he was gonna puke.

[J Shuttlesworth]

Huge game from him. Dude is a soldier