Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks made life very difficult for the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
He posted a game-high 30 points on the way to a 114-101 elimination win over Los Angeles.
Following the game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was asked about Irving and how he has changed over the years.
Speaking with the NBA, Lue called Irving “very patient” and said the Clippers star has altered his approach and now lets the game come to him.
He makes smart decisions based on what the defense is doing and isn’t as interested in continually trying to “kill” the competition.
“He’s very very patient…he’s really figured out how to pick his spots.”
Coach Tyronn Lue applauds Kyrie Irving after his 30-point performance in Game 6 🗣️#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/pEGvaTgiqQ
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2024
Of course, Lue and Irving go way back and worked together in 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers won their legendary championship.
In the years since, Lue has moved on to the Clippers and Irving has bounced around to a few teams.
Now they are both a bit older and still attempting to win another championship, although they are competing against one another.
Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists during the 2023-24 season.
It was a very strong year for Irving, who is concluding his first full year with the Mavericks.
There were numerous questions about Irving when he joined Dallas last year.
Many people weren’t sure how he’d fit alongside a ball-handling guard like Luka Doncic.
Would the combination of Doncic and Irving be too much of a good thing that wouldn’t really fit?
After a rough season last year, the Mavericks are finally functioning like they were supposed to and are moving on to the second round of the playoffs.
That is partly due to the amazing work of Irving, which was on full display for his many fans and former coach on Friday night.
NEXT:
Kyrie Irving Has Honest Admission About Why He Didn’t Reunite With LeBron James