Why Max Kellerman Doesn’t Think Kyrie Irving Will Lead Celtics To NBA Finals

Hope for Celtics fans throughout the regular season was that Boston would be able to flip the switch once the NBA playoffs rolled around.

So far, so good.

The Celtics on Wednesday took a 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Kyrie Irving turned in a vintage postseason performance, dropping a game-high 37 points to go along with seven assists and six rebounds to help erase a 12-point Pacers lead in the fourth quarter.

Given how Boston has looked in the first two games against Indiana, many are starting to flirt with the idea that the C’s actually could reach the NBA Finals. Stephen A. Smith believes Irving is capable of leading the Celtics to the championship round, but his “First Take” co-host Max Kellerman isn’t as convinced.

It’s important to note that Kellerman made it clear his prediction is by no means a slight at Irving. Kellerman understandably has quite a bit of confidence in Milwaukee, but the Bucks aren’t going to be truly tested until the second round. The Detroit Pistons barely qualified for the postseason and have been embarrassed in their first-round series against the Bucks thus far.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo arguably has been the best player in basketball this season, he has far less playoff experience under his belt than the likes of Irving and Al Horford. The Bucks haven’t dealt with a whole lot of adversity this season either, so it would be interesting to see how they’d fare in the second round against a Celtics team that’s been through quite a bit and appears to be hitting its stride at the right time.

So while it will be far from a cakewalk, it’s fair to say a Finals run is well within reach for Irving and the C’s.