Tristan Thompson Reveals the Mindset Kyrie Irving Carried Into the 2016 Finals Against Steph Curry

For years, the conversation around Kyrie Irving drifted away from basketball. A lot of that was his own doing. But his game has a way of pulling the spotlight back, and now one of his old Cleveland teammates is reminding everyone why.

Tristan Thompson didn’t hold back when he sat down with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast. He talked about the 2016 NBA Finals, and specifically what Kyrie believed going into that series against Stephen Curry and the 73-win Warriors.

“Steph can’t guard Kyrie,” Thompson said. “He knew he was better than Steph in that series. He believed it, and he showed it. I think he wanted to let the world know ‘Steph the MVP, but he can’t guard me.’ That was Kyrie’s coming out party. Like, ‘Steph, cool you could be the No. 1, but I’m on your tail.’ And you saw what he did.”

And yeah, we all saw what he did. The shot gets replayed every June. That step-back three over Curry in Game 7 with under a minute left. Cold. But Irving’s whole series was ridiculous — 27.1 points per game on 47 percent shooting, 41 percent from deep. LeBron won Finals MVP, obviously. But there’s no title without Kyrie playing like he was the best guard on the floor.

Thompson’s point is simple but cuts deep. Irving wanted Curry specifically. Not just to win, but to prove something head-to-head. The two MVPs thing was real to him. Curry was the league’s darling that season — unanimous MVP, regular season was a highlight reel. Irving saw that and wanted to crack it open.

The aftermath of that title run

That Cleveland championship was the first in franchise history and the only time a team came back from 3-1 down in the Finals. But things fell apart quick between Irving and the Cavs. He requested a trade in 2017, and the breakup was ugly. Still, that 2016 run is untouchable. Nobody can take that from him.

Irving is now two years removed from helping Dallas win the West. He’s currently recovering from a torn ACL, which he suffered last season. He turns 34 next year, and if he can come back and play at a high level, it would only add to a legacy that already includes one of the biggest shots in NBA history.

For a guy whose talent has never been the question, maybe that’s the best part of Thompson’s story. Kyrie knew. And he went out and showed it.