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The Boston Celtics are one of the most popular teams in the league and have fans all over the world. The Eastern Conference powerhouse entered the season with high hopes under the leadership of Kyrie Irving but never really looked comfortable as a team and they eventually got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
They finished 55-27 last year compared to this year's 49-33, and disappointed the fans for the most part of the season. Their lack of chemistry was clearly visible on the court and it did not seem like the players were having fun playing together.
While a lot of fans and analysts questioned Kyrie's leadership abilities, he did have some stellar performances and had a great season overall as an individual. In this article, let us take a look at the top three individual performances from the Boston Celtics' players.
#3 Gordon Hayward at Golden State Warriors - 30 points
Stat line: 30 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals on 75.0 % shooting
This was a very important season for Gordon Hayward as the forward was coming off a nasty leg injury that left him out of the entire 2017-18 NBA season. However, when he did make his much anticipated return to the NBA, he did not look like his old self and performed to struggle.
He was scoring in single digits and was even relegated to a bench role with the Celtics trying various starting lineups. After ending their three-game home-stand with a loss against the Houston Rockets, the Celtics started their four-game road trip with a game against the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena.
Hayward came off the bench and dropped 30 points, his third thirty-point game of the season, and the Warriors got blown out 95-128. He played lights out and shot 12-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-6 from downtown. The 29-year-old also had 7 rebounds and 4 assists to go along with 2 steals on the night.
#2 Kyrie Irving vs Memphis Grizzlies - 38 points
Stat line: 38 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds, a steal and a block on 66.7 % shooting
After losing two straight games on the road in Miami and Orlando, the Boston Celtics came home for a two-game home-stand. The Celtics defeated the Toronto Raptors, on the back of Kyrie Irving's 27 points before hosting the Memphis Grizzlies.
It was their second and the final match-up this season, and Irving scored 38 as the Celtics registered their second straight win. After scoring just 10 points in the first half, Kyrie exploded for 20 points in the third quarter and helped the Celtics outscore the Grizzlies 38-29 during that period.
He was unstoppable and also dished out 11 assists to finish with a double-double. With 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, Kyrie came off a screen set by Al Horford and knocked down a three-pointer to extend the Celtics' lead to eight points and that was the dagger.
#1 Kyrie Irving vs Toronto Raptors - 43 points
Stat line: 43 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals on 69.2 % shooting
No surprises here. It is Kyrie Irving who once again features on this list. Two nights after an efficient performance in the win against the Chicago Bulls at home, Irving erupted for 43 points as the Celtics defeated the Raptors in overtime.
He scored 18 points in the first half and the Celtics took a 2-point lead. However, in the third quarter, the Raptors fought back and took a four-point lead at the end of three quarters. What followed was fourth quarter heroics from Kyrie as the guard scored 11 straight points for the Celtics down the stretch.
With Kawhi Leonard's shot not falling in, the game went into overtime and Irving continued his form as he scored most of the Celtics' points and also had several key assists. The 27-year-old finished the game with 43 points, 11 assists for a double-double on a red-hot 69.2 % shooting.
It was Kyrie's first game with 40 points and 10 or more assists, and he also became the first Celtics player to achieve this feat since Antoine Walker in 2001.
The Celtics went on to win the game 123 - 116 in overtime. Kawhi Leonard led the Raptors' scoring with 31 points and game-high 15 rebounds.
Guess the Lakers players!
