The Dallas Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, are in the NBA Finals, and we are witnessing the most skilled backcourt duo in basketball history.
This is a bold statement, primarily because there have been so many great backcourt pairs in NBA history. The first that comes to mind is James Harden and Russell Westbrook, as the memory of them is still fresh. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are lethal, masterful, but still part of a perfect system. Kyrie Irving and Harden also played together, but too briefly.
We can now delve into history and find some great duos, but when it comes to the backcourt positions, they will remain unmatched for a long time. While the whole world focuses on Luka Doncic and his brilliance, Kyrie Irving must also be mentioned.
One of the guards with the best footwork in history
The magician from Melbourne has already surpassed Allen Iverson as the most skilled player ever to dribble a basketball. I would place him in the category of the best finishers at the rim ever, and he is certainly one of the guards with the best footwork in history. On par with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
The things Irving does on the court are unreal. The angles from which he scores, the moves that lead to incredible finishes – it’s all a masterpiece. And when you add his innate clutch gene to that, you get one of the greatest of all time.
NBA did not include him on its list of the top 75 players of all time
However, the NBA did not include him on its list of the top 75 players of all time, even though he is the author of one of the greatest shots in NBA history. That single shot, a side-step three-pointer for virtually the win and the FIRST title in Cleveland Cavaliers history, over the FIRST unanimous MVP in history, Stephen Curry, to defeat a team that broke the record of Jordan’s Bulls with a 73-9 record, for the FIRST comeback after a 1-3 deficit in the Finals, all of that is embodied in that shot.
Averaging 29.4 points over five games of that epic Finals, right behind LeBron’s 33.4 and ahead of Curry’s 26.8 (both widely considered top 10 players of all time) is a sufficient indicator of Kyrie Irving’s level. The level of the greatest.
Kyrie Irving is on par with the best when it comes to net-ripping
Luka Doncic is the alpha and omega of the Dallas Mavericks system, but he played below his level for a good part of the playoffs, while Irving stepped up in those tough situations. Doncic is scoring nearly six points more in these playoffs than Irving, but when we consider that he makes 9.8 field goals per game with 43% efficiency compared to Irving’s 8.5 with a significantly better 48.5% efficiency, we conclude that Irving is on par with the best when it comes to net-ripping.
Doncic, with his height and weight (along with genius), gains an advantage. Irving, being shorter and lighter, makes it even crazier that he is practically an unguardable weapon on offense. He outsmarts opponents with sheer brilliance, as we can’t say he’s the fastest, strongest, most athletic, or tallest.
In the NBA Finals, they face the Boston Celtics, a team led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have already reached six Eastern Conference Finals. The experience is there. They are by far the best team this season. They have only two losses in the playoffs. In the regular season, they were convincingly the best, not having two consecutive losses for months.
The Celtics seem ready for the title, but with Irving and Doncic playing like this, no one is a favorite. Even though on the other side awaits the best defensive backcourt duo in the form of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.
Irving has proven to be kryptonite for teams destined for the title
After all, Irving has proven to be kryptonite for teams destined for the title, those that only need to confirm they are the best. Who dares to bet against the basketball brilliance of two magicians from Texas?
Irving’s off-court statements and some strange actions (claiming the Earth is flat, refusing to get vaccinated and missing games while paying fines, not showing up for Game 7 when his Boston Celtics played against the Cavaliers) have driven NBA fans crazy. Everyone knew he was a magician with the ball, but it seemed like he focused on everything except the court itself.
When his focus is in the right place, he remains at the very top of the NBA
This led to enormous frustration among NBA fans. Everyone wanted to see him play and dominate, but Irving had different plans at the time. However, he has once again shown that when his focus is in the right place, he remains at the very top of the NBA.
Back technique like Kobe Bryant, footwork like Hakeem Olajuwon, bank shots like Tim Duncan, dribbling like Allen Iverson, clutch shots like Michael Jordan, finishes at the rim like Julius Erving. Kyrie Irving is an old-school player that young speedsters and athletes can’t figure out or catch.
