What you mean to move without the ball? You need multiple screens to be executed perfectly for someone to be able to shoot freely. Those set actions are rehearsed from the beginning of the season to be executed well. Mavs have 0 set plays and you want they start something in game 3 of the Finals? Basketball doesn't work like that. The most likely scenario in that case is referees whistling moving screen.
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Watch these highlights of Kyrie in game 2 vs Boston:
Everything is one on one versus Boston's defense and their switching everything. They are also shading him towards the help in the lane that makes the court feel very congested. There is no bad switches like versus Minny where Kyrie can manipulate space. This is the reason Luka is taking hard turnarounds to get his shot off. Kyrie is basically taking what the defense gives him - what the pundits want is Kyrie to play like he's 25 and drive by 4 guys and do the impossible. He's 32 and must pick his spots. He can't play at that level for 40 minutes. It's not realistic vs a smart defensive team.
What I mean by move without the ball is run plays for Kyrie that you were running for THJ. These are basic basketball plays and doesnt require a lot of scheming. Curls on the baseline (like he did in Minny for one play), Pin downs that we usually run for THJ, back screen Kyrie man when Luka has the ball and let Kyrie slip under for the shot. Stuff like that. Kyrie should not be standing still when he catches the ball versus this team. He has to be the finisher. Jason Kidd is a smart guy and needs to figure it out. If people are saying Kyrie is the issue - my question would be, what adjustments have been made?
With that being said, can Kyrie play harder? Yes. However, sometime playing harder is not smarter. Kyrie played harder vs the Wolves b/c he knew he could break down their defense bc their bigs couldnt cover the pick and roll. However, versus OKC Kyrie really had to pick his spots in the half court versus those long defenders. The same thing is happening versus the Celtics. People want Kyrie to play harder but its not realistic versus this defense. It's just going to lead to more inefficient play. The only thing left to do is play smarter, imo. Starting with how your freeing Kyrie up, allowing him to push the ball in the full court, and switching on defense on the other end.
Note: People forget when Michael Jordan got into his early 30s -he had transitioned into a jump shooter. To save energy because he couldnt just drive to the basket like that every play. Kyrie Irving has to do the same. Pretty much everyone on the Celtics except Horford is under 30. Kyrie can use his dribbling ability and shot making around the basket - but it must be done so selectively - but the majority of his points against the better defensive team must come by getting to spots and rising up. Ironically, that how Jason Terry killed teams for years. As you age, the jumpshot will open up the other areas of your game when the defense starts to over compensate. Ive been saying this all season in my posts. I said the Mavs offense must find ways to use Kyrie off screens for quick hitters where he has to work less. Plus, if they do this, it opens up another wrinkle to the Mavs offense because the defense has to react to that man movement and this could potentially be manipulated to open up other opportunities.
