Right before the Western Conference game between Dallas and Minnesota, Anthony Edwards was excited to guard Kyrie Irving.
Edwards’ Excitement
Ant grinned and said, “My matchup is going to be Kyrie. So that’s going to be fun.” But after the Wolves nearly got swept 4-1 in the series, Boston’s Jrue Holiday took a more cautious approach when talking about defending Kyrie.
“Pray,” Jrue said. He added that knowing each other’s game helps. “You try your best to stay in front of him, take away his most dangerous moves, and make sure he sees multiple defenders.”
How do you stop Kyrie Irving?
“Pray.” -Jrue Holiday
— Deadspin (@Deadspin)
The Luka-Kyrie Duo
When you add Luka Doncic into the mix, things get even tougher. In their last game together against the Timberwolves, they scored 72 points combined. Derrick White acknowledged their talent too.
“They’re great players,” White said. “You can’t really stop them; you just try to make it hard for them.”
Luka averaged 32.4 points and 8.4 assists per game in their last series while Kyrie added 27 points per game. Their clutch performances were key.
“There will be times when they hit several tough shots in a row,” White continued, “but we have to trust our game plan over the full 48 minutes.”
Sometimes I think it’s impossible to defend such talented players!
Coach Mazzulla’s Perspective
Coach Joe Mazzulla has shared his thoughts on why stopping Luka and Kyrie is nearly impossible as we approach Game 1 of the Finals this Thursday.
“People focus too much on stopping those two guys,” Mazzulla said on Saturday. “They don’t consider how interconnected the entire game is—offense, defense, turnovers, second-chance points.”
Mazzulla emphasized playing a complete game rather than just trying to stop Luka and Kyrie. “There’s no stopping them,” he explained. “It’s about defending at a high level and playing a connected game.”
He also pointed out that although Dallas won the series against Minnesota 4-1, every match was very close.
Basketball can be so unpredictable!
