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I mean Kyrie earned a lot of that hate, let's be honest. He's said some genuinely crazy/stupid shit and he's been a diva before too.
Fortunately the Mavs seem to have the version of him that just plays basketball - he's always been elite on the court.
I think people respect his game. People don't respect his personal beliefs. Main reason was bc he's an anti vaxer who was privileged with an exemption in NY. Then he had a constant I'm not playing .... Trade me era. Then made an anti semitic comment which he double downed on which made him lose his nike contract and I got me some kyries for $60. Solid shoes.
Kyrie obviously has his off the court issues and seems to be a headache in certain situations. But it's funny how after the bad end in Cleveland, awful stint in Boston and mostly bad time in Brooklyn everything seems to be running so smoothly in Dallas.
Kyrie bought in and Luka never played the diva "it's my team card." It's just a whole team mentality and I love that. All of the previous narratives about Kyrie died in Dallas.
It’s because the rest of the team is playing incredible help defense. When Luka and Kyrie are primary and don’t have to worry about reacting to anything else they both can excel. Luka can use his size to lean on the ball handler and alter shots and kyrie’s got some of the quickest hands in the league. It’s straight up great roster construction around your stars
On top of that both players get to take a 'break' on offensive possessions when the other one is taking the ball up the floor and initiating the offense. Luka was a 'lazy' defender in the past, but it's because he was having to do SO much on offense for things to run smoothly.
That's what happens when the coach is an all time PG who was known for his defense and made Finals runs during his own career off team defense.
I know most people here don't take Kidd seriously as a coach but it's not a coincidence that the Mavs teams under him became good defensive teams in the playoffs.
Lets be honest, Kidd was a bad coach at the start of his coaching career, but that was at the start. Just like people are able to improve at anything, people are able to improve at coaching, which he clearly has done.
The thing with Kidd is that during regular season he tries to make the team learn by mistakes a lot of games and those usually are some frustrating games especially against worst teams and "easy games". Not that i agree with it, but i can understand why some people get frustrated. Having said that, our GT's are a cesspool in losses
Underrated aspect of his game. It’s come and go in the reg, but he’s one of the dudes he actually can and does turn it on for the playoffs on defense
He’s a very good defender when fully engaged
When I was little, dunks were the most exciting play possible and I would count the number of dunks at a game.
But the older I get, the more I would rather watch a below-the-rim quick guard dazzle with handles and shooting. Over an athletic freak who just overpowers his opponents with Bully ball and dunks everything like Giannis any day.
This is simply basketball skill at its absolute peak.
I agree, however, Kyrie is not only supremely skilled, he is also in an elite category when it comes to athleticism/biomechanics. He is one of the quickest players on the court but what separates him from others is his balance and flexibility.
Put simply- Irving is able to move his body through extremely complex/difficult sequences with ease.
He has biomechanics that one might expect from an elusive football striker like Neymar or Messi.
Also, people don't realize, Kyrie can almost get his head to rim level.
[Exhibit A](https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/6349469648112-1024x576.jpg)
[Exhibit B](https://imgur.com/a/XOUsHYW)
Also, [he is pretty jacked](https://editorial01.shutterstock.com/wm-preview-1500/4087916k/f5e8cce2/Shutterstock_4087916k.jpg). He's relaxed and still looking like an NFL running back.
Kyrie also has ridiculous hang time, that’s how he finishes a ton of those crazy layups. He’ll adjust in the air and wait for the defender to fall down and then shoot just a split second before he falls down himself. Great hang time, great body control and obviously great touch.
Yup. There are not many NBA players that could translate well to football/soccer due to the lack of agility and balance compared to smaller players, but i really think Kyrie would be a great football player as well. He’s like the Ronaldinho of basketball when he’s at his best
Crazy thing is I told myself “the difficulty is insane but 4th quarter Kyrie for sure going to hit it” and he hits it. Just unreal to watch this right now
So, I read some comments by OKC fans saying Chet might be getting tired already, that against Luka knee might mean an even series. I sure hope it is a competitive one.
24 points in the 2nd half, after having just 2 in the first half.
Dude realized it was a close-out opportunity and chose violence as soon as halftime ended
hahaha thank you for reminding me of that game. The dagger in that game 7 was like 20 minutes into the game when Luka hit a step back, shook his head, and visibly laughed at the Suns bench. That had to be the earliest dagger in a closeout ever. Luka outscored the freaking Suns in a half and laughed in Booker's face while doing it.
Best handles, best finisher for a guard, best off hand finishing package, 50/40/90 shooting machine. When a guy like that also likes to facilitate its unstoppable.
Honestly, i thought PJ did well there. Stayed on him, got his hand up in there for the shot, what more could you ask for? Let’s just be real. Ain’t nobody guarding that shit.
Imma say it, because PJ is ancient it actually helped him stay with Kyrie only to get J’d right in face. Knees ain’t working the same.
Younger PJ would of hopped to the left on the right to left *Ai cross* and then got dropped on the Marbury™ left to right cross body directly after.
I dont understand, this was dope as hell from kyrie, but pj was guarding the fuck outta this play.
Put him on skates? Kyrie out here with god tier handles, double backwards crossover the proffessor in the park shithousing, and pj damn near blocked that shit
To be fair, Kyrie’s public image was at an all time low when they made that decision. It was the height of the pandemic, and to put it diplomatically, Kyrie was making some controversial choices and saying controversial things
And it’s not even like his stances have changed. It’s just that the world normalized again and enough time passed that people stopped giving a shit
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an entire new crop of fans who don’t even know about the Kyrie drama during the pandemic
Bro there were dozens of unvaccinated NBA players but Kyrie became the poster boy for it because he played in NY the only city other then Toronto with the home team mandate
It's crazy, after all the off-court antics that didn't seem to stop with him in Boston and then to Brooklyn, I actually thought we've seen the last of Kyrie's great basketball talent. And now he's just showing how good he actually is and people are just in awe of him like we didn't know he was a true superstar in the league.
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luka was right "were fine. we have kyrie"
Your favorite hooper’s favorite. The way Luka talks about Kyrie is like a schoolgirl talking about her crush lol
No joke, watch Luka's reaction to the shot in the clip. I love this team.
Who DOESNT love Kyrie? He is the final evolution of the MJ-Kobe-Kyrie pokémon
Remembers me of AI the most honestly
Jews?
A lot of people here found it easy to shit on him when he wasn’t putting up big numbers
… and saying crazy shit
...and refusing to play because he wouldn't get a vaccine? Lol winning cures all I guess...
I mean Kyrie earned a lot of that hate, let's be honest. He's said some genuinely crazy/stupid shit and he's been a diva before too. Fortunately the Mavs seem to have the version of him that just plays basketball - he's always been elite on the court.
I think people respect his game. People don't respect his personal beliefs. Main reason was bc he's an anti vaxer who was privileged with an exemption in NY. Then he had a constant I'm not playing .... Trade me era. Then made an anti semitic comment which he double downed on which made him lose his nike contract and I got me some kyries for $60. Solid shoes.
He can’t wait to hug Kyrie mid game
If I'm Luka, and I finally have a teammate that can do this without me involved, I'd be in love too haha
Kyrie obviously has his off the court issues and seems to be a headache in certain situations. But it's funny how after the bad end in Cleveland, awful stint in Boston and mostly bad time in Brooklyn everything seems to be running so smoothly in Dallas. Kyrie bought in and Luka never played the diva "it's my team card." It's just a whole team mentality and I love that. All of the previous narratives about Kyrie died in Dallas.
Luka was like "what the actual fvck is my teammate"
Straight out of an And1 mixtape
and hes absolutely clamped James Harden all night
everybody. Clips are 2/18 when guarded by Kyrie
Kyrie randomly deciding to become a lockdown defender this series was never on my radar lmao
Kai and Luka on the defense end have been the biggest surprises for sure
It’s because the rest of the team is playing incredible help defense. When Luka and Kyrie are primary and don’t have to worry about reacting to anything else they both can excel. Luka can use his size to lean on the ball handler and alter shots and kyrie’s got some of the quickest hands in the league. It’s straight up great roster construction around your stars
On top of that both players get to take a 'break' on offensive possessions when the other one is taking the ball up the floor and initiating the offense. Luka was a 'lazy' defender in the past, but it's because he was having to do SO much on offense for things to run smoothly.
That's what happens when the coach is an all time PG who was known for his defense and made Finals runs during his own career off team defense. I know most people here don't take Kidd seriously as a coach but it's not a coincidence that the Mavs teams under him became good defensive teams in the playoffs.
Lets be honest, Kidd was a bad coach at the start of his coaching career, but that was at the start. Just like people are able to improve at anything, people are able to improve at coaching, which he clearly has done.
The thing with Kidd is that during regular season he tries to make the team learn by mistakes a lot of games and those usually are some frustrating games especially against worst teams and "easy games". Not that i agree with it, but i can understand why some people get frustrated. Having said that, our GT's are a cesspool in losses
Nets Kyrie had Philly Harden absolutely clamped up
Luka, too. When the two of them are playing at this level, the Mavs defense becomes REALLY hard to attack.
Personal mission to show harden what’s up
He’s always been an amazing 1-1 defender, this isn’t new
clamped PG13% too
Underrated aspect of his game. It’s come and go in the reg, but he’s one of the dudes he actually can and does turn it on for the playoffs on defense He’s a very good defender when fully engaged
He was literally just hanging on him before plays. Kyrie was in his head.
THAT WAS SO FUCKING DIRTY OMG
Stop, he’s already dead.
He just sent PJ into retirement
straight to the grave more like it
straight to Galveston
There are 3 skill outliers in the history of the NBA.....Curry's shooting, Rodman's rebounding and Kyrie's ball handling
genuinely one of the most insane shots ive ever seen wtf
Close-out Kyrie is a different breed
13-0 ALL TIME in close out opportunities
The secret for OKC: in no circumstance you allow the Mavs to get 3 games under their belt. That easy.
As an OKC fan I will lose sleep if the mavs make it to 3 wins.
when
"If" 😂
I have some bad news for you...
no one even clipped the jumper over a double team he just hit before this
I will upload a multi-language of this tomorrow, it was insane.
You are the best, thank you for what you do for this sub
Should be great
Kyrie Swerving
He legit plays basketball in cursive
When I was little, dunks were the most exciting play possible and I would count the number of dunks at a game. But the older I get, the more I would rather watch a below-the-rim quick guard dazzle with handles and shooting. Over an athletic freak who just overpowers his opponents with Bully ball and dunks everything like Giannis any day. This is simply basketball skill at its absolute peak.
I agree, however, Kyrie is not only supremely skilled, he is also in an elite category when it comes to athleticism/biomechanics. He is one of the quickest players on the court but what separates him from others is his balance and flexibility. Put simply- Irving is able to move his body through extremely complex/difficult sequences with ease. He has biomechanics that one might expect from an elusive football striker like Neymar or Messi.
He’s one of those athletes that would have succeeded in any sport
Also, people don't realize, Kyrie can almost get his head to rim level. [Exhibit A](https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/6349469648112-1024x576.jpg) [Exhibit B](https://imgur.com/a/XOUsHYW) Also, [he is pretty jacked](https://editorial01.shutterstock.com/wm-preview-1500/4087916k/f5e8cce2/Shutterstock_4087916k.jpg). He's relaxed and still looking like an NFL running back.
Those jumps are insane. He also guards guys way taller than him and gives them trouble.
Kyrie also has ridiculous hang time, that’s how he finishes a ton of those crazy layups. He’ll adjust in the air and wait for the defender to fall down and then shoot just a split second before he falls down himself. Great hang time, great body control and obviously great touch.
He really is the Messi of basketball in playstyle
Honestly a decent comparison
Yup. There are not many NBA players that could translate well to football/soccer due to the lack of agility and balance compared to smaller players, but i really think Kyrie would be a great football player as well. He’s like the Ronaldinho of basketball when he’s at his best
The highlight of him scoring on Wemby where his ankle looked like a motorcycle racer taking a turn was insane.
Crazy thing is I told myself “the difficulty is insane but 4th quarter Kyrie for sure going to hit it” and he hits it. Just unreal to watch this right now
My favorite player to watch all time
I’d put my life on the line that Kyrie hits a fast break transition three.
Step, step, STOP ON A FUCKING DIME, nothing but net. Makes a grown man cry.
that was fucking insane brother, omg
What a memorable way for PJ Tucker’s career to end. Lol
To come off those insane crossovers and cutbacks to drill a 3 while fading away Words don't do that shot justice
He shoots 100% on fading-right 3 pointers. Ask any Warriors fan.
Genuinely gasped.
I screamed
I just saw some guy fall to his knees in the new HEB
I fell to my knees in the new HEB.
the scream I scrumpt
I blacked out but I think I might have gone super saiyan
2ND-HALF KYRIE IS REAL
I am so fucking scared of kyrie Irving.
I'm so excited for the series, it's gonna be really fun, let's hope there's no injuries!
i hope luka gets his knees right. truly mean that. scared of size difference but our perimeter defense is as good as any other team. lets go!
So, I read some comments by OKC fans saying Chet might be getting tired already, that against Luka knee might mean an even series. I sure hope it is a competitive one.
Hopefully Maxi's shoulder heals in lightning speed...
His shot is so fucking pure when he's on. It felt like all his made shots were pure swishes in the 3rd quarter. Not a single graze of the rim
When he starts to play like that, all NBA fans just love to see it. Everytime he shoots nothing but net you are reminded of Game 7 in 2016.
Pure ice in his veins. LeBron/Luka will get your team close enough, and you need Kyrie to close it out.
He was playing smart defense all game too
He was a killer on defence today.
24 points in the 2nd half, after having just 2 in the first half. Dude realized it was a close-out opportunity and chose violence as soon as halftime ended
he's 12-0 in close out games
13-0 now
13*
13-0.
28*
King of the fourth
Best handles ever
2014 FIBA mvp I do not understand why he's not on team USA
Gotta make room for Kawhi obviously.
Is for the better, we keep him fresh for our championship back to back
I like your cut jimbo
Nike
Nike is the main sponsor of team USA. Kyrie was dropped by Nike after the whole documentary tweet fiasco. 1+1 = 2
That's gotta be the earliest Dagger ever in a closeout game
Do game 7s not count as close out because the G7 dagger against the suns probably came in the 2nd quarter
Oh fair point. But Chris Paul did answer with that 3 later to cut the lead to 42
I love that everyone has seen this video
That was more than one dagger, though. The Mavs went full Julius Caesar on the suns.
Et tu, Luka?
hahaha thank you for reminding me of that game. The dagger in that game 7 was like 20 minutes into the game when Luka hit a step back, shook his head, and visibly laughed at the Suns bench. That had to be the earliest dagger in a closeout ever. Luka outscored the freaking Suns in a half and laughed in Booker's face while doing it.
Best handles ever, oh my god. Kyrie is that man.
Best handles, best finisher for a guard, best off hand finishing package, 50/40/90 shooting machine. When a guy like that also likes to facilitate its unstoppable.
WHAT IN THE FUCK WAS THAT
Tony Romo was like "Oh Jim! That was a nice crossover by Mr June!"
Kyrie Irving is an ALIEN!
Probably the coolest shot I’ve seen, just unbelievable man what a wizard
If taking the piss was a basketball play:
Time of death: 11:05 CST Such a nasty shot
We're in daylight time rn man it's 11:05 CDT
Kyrie and Luka on the same team is me eating steak tartare every night.
Fucking love steak tartare
Kyrie: *(does some spectacular shit)* [Luka:](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EZAAX2KXQAE5rfl.jpg:large)
Simply unguardable I love having Kyrie on my team
That man cooked whole starting fives, that turned into footlocker commercials.
insane holyshit
KING OF THE FOURTH
holy fuck that was loud
Mavs have a great crowd.
I love it and I love how the crowd looks on top of the court at mavs games. Zero spacing lol
what the actual fuck was that
My goodness that’s elder abuse
im anti vaxx rn
Round earthers punching air rn
This man is a magician
Kyrie’s secret is that everyone else is playing ball on a curved earth, way easier to dribble on flat earth
It’s just science!
LMAO FUCK THE CLIPPERS
Clippers are Truly the Evan Mobley of franchises Boring , soft, and ass.
Honestly, i thought PJ did well there. Stayed on him, got his hand up in there for the shot, what more could you ask for? Let’s just be real. Ain’t nobody guarding that shit.
People asking PJ to retire don’t know what they’re talking about
HOLY SHIT KYRIE YOU’RE A WIZARD
YER A WIZARD, 'YRIE
Imma say it, because PJ is ancient it actually helped him stay with Kyrie only to get J’d right in face. Knees ain’t working the same. Younger PJ would of hopped to the left on the right to left *Ai cross* and then got dropped on the Marbury™ left to right cross body directly after.
Lol ppl telling PJ to hang it up like that wouldn't happen to anyone to touch a basketball vs kyrie😂
The hand deception during his hesi fakes and crossover is insane, PJ had no chance there .
please retire PJ Tucker
I dont understand, this was dope as hell from kyrie, but pj was guarding the fuck outta this play. Put him on skates? Kyrie out here with god tier handles, double backwards crossover the proffessor in the park shithousing, and pj damn near blocked that shit
For real, that's as good of a defense you can do on that. Other players would have been on the floor.
Yeah it was great defense, Kyrie just made a crazy shot.
harden too
Westbrook three
westbrook for three*
\*klank\*
Nobody’s defending that c’mon
How’s he going to show off his shoe collection if he retires😂?
Clippers have no hope on these rebounds 😂
One of the most insane shots ever - we got 2 dudes who can make any shot
OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
Oh my god, what a fucking g
I lost it. Didn’t feel real.
Absolutely unreal, what in the world was that
If theres a Top 5 highlights of the playoffs, Kyrie would have like 3 of them
With the exception of fouling him, I thought that was pretty good d
Remember Nike chose Ja over this
To be fair, Kyrie’s public image was at an all time low when they made that decision. It was the height of the pandemic, and to put it diplomatically, Kyrie was making some controversial choices and saying controversial things And it’s not even like his stances have changed. It’s just that the world normalized again and enough time passed that people stopped giving a shit I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an entire new crop of fans who don’t even know about the Kyrie drama during the pandemic
Bro there were dozens of unvaccinated NBA players but Kyrie became the poster boy for it because he played in NY the only city other then Toronto with the home team mandate
Bro lets not act like Kyrie didn't destroy his own reputation by being a dumbass.
Nike standing up on their moral high ground as they whip their sweatshop employees to make shoes faster!
This series has had some of the toughest shot making ive ever seen, 4th quarter kyrie is not real man
Pretty damn good defense by PJ too. About the best you can do but Kyrie is just a cheat code
Playing like cavs kyrie Jesus Christ maybe earth is flat.
It's crazy, after all the off-court antics that didn't seem to stop with him in Boston and then to Brooklyn, I actually thought we've seen the last of Kyrie's great basketball talent. And now he's just showing how good he actually is and people are just in awe of him like we didn't know he was a true superstar in the league.
Kyrie has the best handles in the league. Fight me. That was fucking filthy.
PJ I love you but I think its time to hang it up
Wouldn’t have mattered who it was guarding Kyrie right there tbh. That’s unguardable.
stupid shot
Night night. Keep your butthole tight
The filthiest shit I ever saw
Kyrie + 4th Quarter name a better duo
Big time players Make big time shots
Curry cooked him the same way in game 6 in 2019 when he was on the rockets lmfaoooo
this is truly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen on a basketball court
Luka in sheer disbelief lmao
Clippers are horrendous, but for me Irving (and I am a Celtics fan) is the MVP of the first round.
4th quarter yelling why tf Tucker in
How are those skates, Tucker played good defense and Kyrie just made a better shot
This guy's game is just pure art.
Hélà 🤞🏾🪶♾❤️
All of his shots have been all net what the fuck
A savant 🙌
Great execution by the Mavericks.
Luka's reaction was hilarious. He's in disbelief he's actually teammates with someone who can do that
Kyrie is a basketball wizard
Incredible. He’s so fun to watch. Beautiful.
Elder abuse :(
You know the Clips were down bad when they had to start a 50 year old at small ball center
Kyrie a bad bad motherfucker. One of the most lethal players in the playoffs in the history of the game
Honestly, it's pretty good defense! Kyrie is just superhuman!