Kyrie Irving: An Oral History of His Tantalizing 11-Game Duke Career

[Truth&Justise]

The Undefeated has an in-depth look at Kyrie's 11 games at Duke (https://theundefeated.com/features/boston-celtics-kyrie-irving-duke-2010-ncaa-tournament-nba-draft-oral-history/). Interviews with guys he played against, stats, audio/video clips. They really did a great job with this.

Edit: They even link to a DBR thread!

[godins]

Mama, we made it! We're famous!

[moonpie23]

wow.....talk about a buzz-stripper... :(

[MrPoon]

From K at the end of this great article:
I loved coaching that kid … but if I could change something, I’d change that he [got] injured … to see where that year would go, not just for a national championship but how he would play and what he would do.

So many, many great years as fans of this team and so few disappointments. Yet this season still pains me, perhaps the most of any because of what this team could have been. Arizona couldn’t miss in that game even if they were shooting at the wrong basket, it was just one of those games, but I’d don’t think it comes to that if KI plays the full year. I believe K has said publicly he thought that team could go undefeated and its hard to disagree. Things always look better in hindsight but my gosh what a team that was. Singler as a senior, wait, I need to stop....:(

But a great article.

[rolm]

Great article. And yes, if Kyrie doesn't get injured that year we win. I still remember the crazy ending of the Arizona-Texas game that year in the round of 32 when lead changed several times in the last 30 seconds and Arizona winning with lots of luck on a freakish sequence of events at the end of that game. I keep thinking what if (and I wish) Texas had won that game. Kyrie was ready and we would have beaten UConn in the Elite 8. It will always remain a "what-if" season. The other seasons that I can never forget are the 1999 season and the 2004 season. I'm not one who blames refs for losses, but the 2004 loss to UConn will for ever be remembered for refs taking our title away.

[Steven43]

Arizona couldn’t miss in that game even if they were shooting at the wrong basket, it was just one of those games, but I’d don’t think it comes to that if KI plays the full year.
How about if K had switched to a zone defense earlier in the season and the team had experience with it by the time the Arizona game took place? Had K done so I think there is a very good chance Duke would have won the game, with or without Kyrie. And it wasn’t just because the Wildcats were shooting well from outside.

No, in the second half Arizona didn’t need to make all that many jumpers beyond 15-feet or so because they were able to drive to the basket with absolute impunity, as if Duke’s defense was nonexistent. It was a humiliating half of basketball for the Devils’ man-to-man defense, which was as befuddled, bewildered, and completely lost as any Duke defense has ever been for one half. It was something you had to see to believe.

[JNort]

Fun piece to read about Kyrie and his brief stint at Duke.


https://theundefeated.com/features/boston-celtics-kyrie-irving-duke-2010-ncaa-tournament-nba-draft-oral-history/?sf185384020=1