The regular season saw the rapid rise of Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks as an integral part of the franchise, which was not appreciated enough during his trade. To double the trouble for their competitors, the guard was paired with the team’s ace, Luka Doncic.
With his championship experience and offensive prowess, Irving helped Doncic pull the team to the Western Conference Finals and impressed many on the journey; one of them being the Hall of Famer, Kevin Garnett.
In his recent appearance on “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” The Big Ticket stated, “Kyrie walks about with a Kobe [Bryant] spirit…He is calm, he is confident, he is leading, he ain’t got a bunch of extra stuff with him, he has been about basketball. I love his peace…Now, we’re seeing more of a mature Kyrie that is electrifying. He has been doing this since Ramadan… Ramadan Kyrie was a motherf***er.” (After 44:24)
KG mentioned that Irving had the calmness, focus and confidence like the Lakers legend and even evolved into a complete player like him.
Garnett also highlighted that the Mavs guard unleashed his beasts since the Ramadan month of March, when the Muslim population avoided food and water from dawn to dusk. As a follower of Islam, the 32-year-old also maintained the sacred tradition, which was reflected well in his on-court performance.
The 8-time All-Star finished the regular season with an average of 25.6-5-5.2, which became 21.1-4-5.4 in the playoffs. Garnett wasn’t the only one praising Kyrie though. The LA Clippers swingman, Paul George, also had words of praise for Irving.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Paul George Praises Kyrie Irving’s Clutch Gene
The Clippers were the Mavs’ first-round opponents in the playoffs, who gave them a tough fight. With Luka Doncic not displaying his best, Kyrie Irving had to step up and drop massive points to snatch the 4-2 series win. Paul George, who saw Kyrie in action closely over the years, discussed the former champion’s contribution to the series.
Calling Irving a “shot maker” in an episode of “Podcast P With Paul George”, PG-13 stated, “Just some of the threes he’s making are deep threes and it’s like man you’re not even known for that. But he just has that clutch gene and that clutch factor and he has the ultimate confidence that he can make and take any shots. He’s special man, Ky is definitely special.” (After 34:00)
The Mavericks qualified for the Conference Finals after beating the Thunder, partly thanks to Irving’s on and off-court actions that boosted the team.
Also Read: Anthony Edwards’ Daring Declarations Ignite Hype for Kyrie Irving Before WCF
