Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving made one of the wildest game-winners of all time on Sunday when he hit a left-handed floater over Nikola Jokic to give the Mavs a win against the Denver Nuggets.
The Mavericks were playing well before that, as they had won four of their last five games, but this particular game showed everyone that the Mavs weren’t playing this year.
After Thursday evening defeat the Utah Jazzthe Mavs move up to sixth place in the Western Conference, and they are become real contenders.
As Luka Doncic and Irving continue to prove they are one of the best duos in the NBA When they’re on the court together, each of them has been phenomenal on their own as well. When Doncic and Irving are at their best, almost no one can stop them.
And the national media is finally starting to take notice, especially in Irving.
Irving has quietly had a great season for the Mavs, averaging 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 .5 percent from downtown. Nobody talked much about Irving until his winner, and now the national media is back on the Kyrie bandwagon.
During a segment on FS1’s First Things First, the team debated whether Irving was the most talented player of all time. Chris Broussard denied saying Irving was the most talented player of all time and cited Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas as being more talented than him. Broussard also said that Chris Paul and Steve Nash are “in the same class” as Kyrie.
Broussard saying that Curry is more skilled than Irving isn’t great, because he is one of the best shooters of all time, but saying that Thomas is more skilled than Irving just isn’t true. Thomas may have the edge over Irving in passing, but Irving has him in every other skill category.
Ball handling, 3-point shooting and finishing are three of Irving’s elite skills, and while Thomas is also an excellent ball handler and finisher, he doesn’t touch Irving in these skills.
Saying that Paul is in the same class as Irving as far as skills are concerned is also a weak opinion, as Irving has it in every category except passing. Broussard said Irving wasn’t the most talented player in the past, and he doubled down on that statement.
Unfortunately for him, this take he made several seasons ago and this season is aging horribly. Irving’s growth as a playmaker this season has been evident, and he looks much more comfortable in Dallas now compared to last year. He also continues to prove that he is one of the best finishers in the NBA every night, and even threw an alley-oop slam last night on a pass from Doncic.
Luka Doncic connects with Kyrie Irving for the emphatic slam in transition.
Every time you watch this, look at someone different on the bench. Gotta love the reactions of their teammates.
– Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 22, 2024
If the Mavs maintain this level of play and the spotlight stays on them and Irving, Broussard could eat his words here in a few weeks.
For all the latest news on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned
