Fans knew that the Clippers were in for a masterclass by Kyrie Irving when he entered the arena all suited up. The Dallas Mavericks, determined to edge past their low-scoring first half from Game 1, posted a 4-point lead at halftime. As Luka Doncic and Irving fought the healthy Clippers quartet, Kyrie, understanding the layers of the game, gave Ty Lue a lesson in history.

Luka had the ball at the corner as Dallas led 76-73 in the fourth. As Doncic turned to a post-up, possibly looking for open teammates, Westbrook decided to double him. Doncic, quickly realizing an open Kyrie Irving on the wing, dimed him for a long three. After find the net on his shot, Kyrie instantaneously pointed towards the Clippers’ head coach, forcing him to reminisce about the iconic Allen Iverson incident from the 2001 NBA Finals.

For the entirety of the game, Ty Lue ensured to make things hard for the Mavs. Realizing that one can only try to limit Kyrie and Luka, Lue eyes their teammates. His players made things tough for them, forcing them to put in extra effort to go past. A significant metric of the same is that apart from Kyrie Irving and Luka, Mavs shot just 38% from the field (13-34).

Lue has coached Kyrie during the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ championship year in 2016, and possibly knows several ins and outs of his game. While Kyrie has significantly added to his arsenal since then, Lue was successful in making things tough on Kye. Uncle Drew shot scored 23 points on 18 shots this time around, after posting 31 on 18 shots in Game 1. Nevertheless, as Irving led the Mavs to a close 93-96 win in Clippers’ arena, his his pointing at Lue radiates the offensive wizardry Irving has in his bottomless bag.

What went well for Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic

Luka and Kyrie, despite well-planned efforts, ruined Kawhi Leonard’s return to his home-court. They will now take the series home for Game 3 and 4, having a slight advantage.

Luka led with a game high 32 points and 9 assists, while James Harden posted team-high 22 points. While a total of 8 players touched the double digit mark from both teams, the game was a complete slug-race – neither team led by more than 9 points and exchanged the lead 10 times in the low scoring outing.

However, it seems like Dallas never saw the game as an offensive night. Probably because the only win they have against Clippers’ this season was a 144 point outing – something which would leave their superstars tired if they rely on it for the series.

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With that, Luka and Kyrie Irving were aggressive and present on defense since the start; shunning the narratives of being a liabilities on the other end of the floor. Moreover, as Derrick Jones Jr. added athleticism to the starting lineup, Dereck Lively bought length from the bench. With that, P.J Washington gave a tough time to Kawhi, building on the Klaw’s 9-game rust.

Moreover, Maxi Kleber came in clutch to hit a huge, aiding Doncic and Irving of the pressure. With that, the Dallas’ playoff has officially began, since a series only starts when a team wins on the road.