In the first round of the Olympic basketball tournament, Kyrie Irving scored 12 points and went 4-for-5 from three-point range. Three of those shots were assisted.
Postgame, Irving was asked about what allowed him to catch fire in the third quarter. Irving responded by saying that it started with trusting his teammates.
In last season’s playoffs, Irving shot 57.1 percent on assisted threes and 37.1 percent on unassisted threes and so the additional focus on his catch-and-shoot ability will be a benefit to both himself and the team.
When asked about the team’s high number of assists, Irving said that unselfish basketball is a beautiful thing.