BOSTON -- Brad Stevens recently stopped short of calling this the best season of Kyrie Irving's NBA career, pointing to the All-Star guard's many feats in Cleveland.
But the numbers may be proving Stevens a liar.
Irving dropped 32 points Saturday night in the Celtics' nail-biting, 115-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden. That's now six straight games he's scored at least 25 points -- a streak he's matched only once before in 2017 with the Cavaliers.
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Kyrie averaged more points during that 2017 stretch -- 31.7 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting -- but has scored more efficiently during his latest tear.
The 26-year-old isn't just ball-hogging, either. After dropping 10 assists Saturday night, he's now averaging 10 assists per contest over this six-game stretch while joining the company of one Larry Bird.
Considering Irving averaged "only" 5.3 assists per game during that 2017 run, you could make the case this is the hottest two-week stretch of his eight-season NBA career.
Of course, Irving would have traded a few buckets and assists for a win over the two-time defending champions. But he left quite the impression on Warriors star Kevin Durant, who edged his USA Basketball teammate with a game-high 33 points.
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"He's special," Durant said of Irving after the game. "Special players, they get better as the game goes on. ... He's one of those special players."
The Celtics will need a special Irving down the stretch this season if they want to close the six-game gap between them and the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks. All of his offensive numbers are up from last season, however, as the talented point guard appears to have found his groove in his second season in Boston.
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