Mar 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Kyrie Irving has had a tumultuous few seasons off the basketball court.
After LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time, Irving asked for a trade and was dealt to the Boston Celtics. He told a group of season-ticket holders that he wanted to sign a contract extension and remain a member of the Celtics long-term. Almost immediately after, things started to go south in Boston and Kyrie eventually forced a trade to the Brooklyn Nets.
He wasn’t allowed to play any home games for most of the 2021-22 season because of his decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and a New York state mandate.
After a series of controversial comments and the breakup of the Nets’ big three of Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden, the eight-time All-Star was again traded, this time to the Dallas Mavericks in the hopes that he would help Luka Doncic win a championship.
All the off-court drama overshadowed Kyrie’s basketball talent, and he hadn’t been on the floor enough to remind NBA fans why he was the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-NBA point guard and an NBA champion. But this year, for the first time in what feels like a long time, all the conversations about Irving have surrounded his play on the court.
He’s played an influential role in helping Doncic and the Mavericks reach the Western Conference Finals. In fact, he’s been more influential in his teams’ playoff successes throughout his career than most fans may realize.
Kyrie Irving is 14-0 in closeout games in the playoffs
The 32-year-old’s most memorable postseason moment is his late 3-pointer that lifted LeBron and the Cavs to the 2016 NBA title.
But he’s done more than that. He’s an unbeaten 14-0 in closeout games, coming through in the biggest moments when his team has needed it most.
He’s averaged 23.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds in those 14 games.
Most recently, his Dallas team trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder by 17 at halftime in Game 6 of the two teams’ West semifinals series. Irving had just four points in the first half. Then he scored 18 in the final 24 minutes, helping the Mavericks rally down the stretch for a 117-116 win and a second trip to the final four in three seasons.
With Doncic dealing with a knee injury during these playoffs, Irving has averaged 21.1 points, 5.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 48/44/84 shooting splits in more than 40 minutes a night. He had 30 points (including five threes), six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in Game 6 of the team’s first-round series against the Clippers – another closeout game.
Luka is the Mavericks’ best player, but this is the best Dallas team he’s been a part of, and if the Mavs make the NBA finals for the first time since 2011, Kyrie’s clutch performances will have played a major role.
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Andrew Hanlon is the Assistant Editor for The Dunk Central. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and has been writing about sports professionally for more than a decade. He started out covering local high school sports before transitioning into a full-time NBA connoisseur. He has been published on FanSided, SBNation and Sportscasting.
