Kyrie Irving was a menace on the hardwood tonight. Displaying his shifty handles and deep offensive arsenal, Irving led the Dallas Mavericks to clinch the series and proved why he’s regarded as one of the most skillful players ever. Jamal Crawford was among the millions of fans to be left in awe of Kyrie’s performance. The TNT analyst also took to X and showered the 2016 champion with lofty compliments.
Kyrie Irving’s jaw-dropping production in Game 6 of the Dallas Mavericks-Los Angeles Clippers series was impressive, to say the least. After he led Jason Kidd’s boys to a 114-101 win, Kai received “one of the best players” praise from Jamal Crawford.
Crawford wrote, “I don’t care how some try and cut it- but Kyrie Irving is one of the best players to EVER touch a basketball..”
Terance Mann is regarded as an elite perimeter defensive guard. However, the 27-year-old just could not prevent Irving from going on a scoring outburst – 30 points on 57.9% FG and 55.6% 3FG.
The 6ft 2” guard has been a terrific player on the offensive end throughout the campaign. But, it was his contributions on the defensive end – 2 steals & 2 blocks – that allowed the Texas side to prevail victorious. The 4 “stocks” that he recorded were the most for him in a single game throughout the series.
Irving also had the highlight of the night with an and-1 play mid-way into the final period. With Norman Powell, another fantastic perimeter defender, guarding Kyrie and the shot clock running down, the latter pulled off a series of handles and eventually knocked down a side-step three-pointer from the corner. He also managed to finish the four-point play following Powell fouling him on the shot.
In all probabilities, Jamal Crawford had this play in mind when he typed out his tweet.
Jamal Crawford and Kyrie Irving have the utmost respect for each other
Being two of the most creative ball handlers in the NBA, Jamal Crawford and Kyrie Irving respect each other. On numerous occasions across their careers, the two stars have displayed their admiration for the other.
Back at the start of the 2023-2024 season, Kyrie also held Crawford in high regard, making a Hall-Of-Fame case for the three-time Sixth Man of the Year. Even the fact that JC was considered for the same honor had Irving excited.
“Some players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, you know, they aren’t. But for me, it is an incredible moment to see someone as selfless as Jamal to be inducted or to be up for the induction. I am happy for his family.
He deserves it. He’s done far more off the court than he has done on-court. He has helped a lot of us young guys out that doesn’t get any media attention. It doesn’t get any attention from our peers,” Kyrie said.
Revealing the strong bond that the two share, Jamal Crawford disclosed that Kyrie stayed with him in Seattle for a month at a point during the 2018-2019 season. In that month, the two worked out together and shared stories of one another.
“He came and stayed with me in Seattle his last year in Boston,” said Crawford. “And we worked out every day for a month. But I was surprised to hear from him. And then what’s crazy was he told me this story that he used to watch me in Seattle when he was 11 years old, in the pro-ams. And he’d be the kid dribbling and doing stuff in between timeouts. So you never know who’s watching.”
Over the years, despite his greatness, Kyrie Irving has had multiple detractors trolling him for his off-court eccentricities. However, Jamal Crawford remained a loyal supporter irrespective of the situation and has made it known that he thinks Uncle Drew is one of the best to ever do it.
