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  • I believe Kyrie Irving has unimaginable pressure.

  • Now I have been, if you've been listening to the show, much less critical of him for the things that have happened over the course of the last three weeks, since he left the team and felt he needed a break and all the rest of that.

  • I've told you many times I do not think that his actions are being driven by a lack of professionalism or by narcissism, but genuinely by a person who needs some help.

  • And I understand a little bit about how that feels.

  • And so I am much more inclined to generally give him the benefit of the doubt.

  • But it does not change the fact that his departure is going to put a lot of pressure on him because while he was away, the team went out and traded for James Harden.

  • Harden and Kevin Durant played two games together and look sensational, have combined for 138 points and 12 good games, including beating Milwaukee.

  • One of the teams they'll have to beat to get to the finals and now all of a sudden you inject Kyrie in there and based upon those two games.

  • Plus I think the fact that a lot of people are just gonna have it in for Kyrie.

  • If anything goes wrong, it's his fault.

  • I believe he is now in a position where anything that goes wrong is going to be his fault.

  • So I think he is the player who has the most pressure on them of anybody and I don't think it's unreasonable to say that isn't necessarily a role that suits him.

  • I think that it is clear that again he's done a lot of wonderful things.

  • I'm not sitting here being critical of Kyrie Irving, but I'm not sure being the player with the most pressure on them of any in the N b.

  • A is a role that suits him well.

  • So let's see how that plays itself out.

  • Having said that, I will now say the last thing you were expecting anyone to say about him.

  • I had J.

  • Willen get up this morning.

  • Jay will the J and K Jay Z and obviously he's a do Chi Chi Reza do chi.

  • They known each other forever and I asked Jay will, how do you expect him to blend with the other two superstars and J Will brought up this as the one to watch the most carefully when it comes to the end of the game.

  • I think everybody needs to be on the same page about Kevin.

  • Durant needs to get in the game shot or James Harden.

  • That pecking order is something to pay attention to.

  • How will it work?

  • Will go.

  • K D James Harden.

  • Kyrie will go.

  • KD Kyrie James Harden.

  • I think that's the thing to pay attention to in the game or in the shot clock scenarios s.

  • So that's that's clear as we get towards the end of the season to get into the playoffs with these three guys were playing together.

  • Who gets the ball at the end of these games?

  • Who takes the big shot?

  • And no one loves the n Bem or than my producer knew no so new.

  • I want you to open your mic, and I want you to react to what I'm about to say.

  • This is what I meant when I said, I'm going to say the last thing you were expecting to hear, But I will say that if there is a big shot to be taken late in a playoff game and my options air those three guys.

  • I want Kyrie Irving taking that shot.

  • I want Kyrie taking that shot well ahead of James Harden and even ahead of Kevin Durant.

  • Katie was on a team that wasn't getting beat, no matter what happened.

  • The two championships KD one when he joined the Warriors, for which I have never been critical of him.

  • But I have said repeatedly, was the worst thing that could have possibly happened to the MBA because it took all the suspense out of it.

  • His team wasn't losing.

  • If he missed any of those shots, his team was just too good to lose.

  • You know the expression too big to fail.

  • They were too good to lose.

  • I think that the pressure in that circumstance was not what other people might suggest it is.

  • I'm telling you, just having watched their careers, you put the ball in one of those guys hands late in the game because I need a big shot made.

  • Not that because he made the one in those finals, the one that knocked out Golden State in that Game seven on the road.

  • But just having watched them to me, Kyrie is the guy I want taking that shot.

  • He can create his own shot as well as anybody.

  • And that includes Harden.

  • And it includes K D.

  • And I think he's the guy who goes up and takes it and more than anyone else, believes it's going in in the biggest of moments.

  • That's what I think.

  • I'm interested to hear what you think.

  • I'm on Twitter at hashtag greeny green with a y tweeted thought at me.

  • If you're interested in that as the week goes on, you know, let's get someone on to talk about that, get J Will or jail in or one of my crew and see what they think of that opinion because that's a take I will defend in a big moment.

  • While he is the third best player on that team in a big moment, he is the first one I want taking that shot.

  • Thank you for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content.

I believe Kyrie Irving has unimaginable pressure.

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