What other competitive NBA playoff season beats 2023-24, especially the Dallas Mavericks playoffs? The competitive nature of young rising stars, the aggressiveness of team members, or the hunger for more Ws?
The Dallas Mavericks Duo have shown grit while battling the LA Clippers Duo: Paul George and James Harden.
When we thought only the New York Knicks point guard, Jalen Brunson, was making history and breaking NBA records, two All-Star NBA players have been cooking behind closed doors in their Conference.
Their outstanding performance made the Dallas Mavericks say, “Forget the Three Musketeers let this duo cook!” Now let’s see how the Dallas duo easily complement each other.
Dallas Mavericks: Kyrie Irving NBA Playoff Performance
Dallas Mavericks’ Uncle Drew started his NBA career in 2011 with the Cleveland Cavaliers where he played for 6 years averaging 23.9 points per game, 4.7 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in the 52 playoff games. He played 381 games for the Cavaliers, which kick-started his NBA career.
Then he went to the Boston Celtics in 2017 but only spent two seasons playing 9 playoff games and averaging 21 points per game, 7 assists, and 4.3 rebounds.
After two years, he moved to the Brooklyn Nets playing MVPs like Kevin Durant and averaging 22.2 points per game with 4.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 13 playoff games. This stat contributes to Kyrie’s duo performance in the Mavericks. How? I’ll get to that soon.
Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic NBA Performance
Luka Doncic played for Real Madrid from 2014 till he joined the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 where he started his NBA career, averaging 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 400 games.
Despite Luka’s injury management, he showed up for his team to help them win the LA Clippers in the 1st rounds of the 2023-24 playoffs, averaging 29.8 points per game with 9.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds. So, how did Kyrie contribute to these stats to make them an incredible duo?
The Dallas Mavericks Duo Setting a Trend
When Kyrie Irving moved to the Dallas Mavericks, there were sentiments that he would not sync well with Luka Doncic, which is an odd statement despite ignoring Kyrie’s stats and experience with NBA elites like Le Bron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and so on.
Thus, pairing Kyrie with a player who is on an elite level and plays like an elite is a piece of cake for him. Also, this is evident in his first playoff performance with Luka Doncic. Kyrie Irving is one of the best ball handlers in the NBA and also he’s fast to release the ball either as an assist or bucket.
On the other hand, Luka Doncic isn’t as fast as Kyrie but shoots better three-pointers and possesses excellent court vision to give an assist.
Kyrie Irving, the vintage Uncle Drew, moving to Dallas reduces the burden on Luka Doncic in offense and defense play as he averaged 1.8 SPG in the 1st round against the Clippers. Also, his supportive role offensively helped Doncic average 9.5 assists in the playoffs 1st round against the Clippers.
As these elite players support each other with their incredible performance, Kyrie bags 159 total points, while Luka buckets 179 total points which gave their duo 338 total points – the most by a duo in their first playoff series together in NBA History.
With this achievement, the Dallas Mavericks are setting a trend that could eliminate the Big 3 ideology and instead, focus on getting that complementary duo.
About the Author
Wisdom is an email and brand copywriter with two years of content writing experience. He started Cloud Kitchen Concept to help startups and business owners elevate their brands from good to great. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Instagram to enjoy cooked meals for your business’s growth.
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