The Dallas Mavericks have secured a place in the Western Conference Semifinals, following a hard fought 4-2 series win over the Los Angeles Clippers. While Luka Doncic may garner all the plaudits for his incredible performances in the series, a win over a stacked Clippers’ roster wouldn’t have been possible without Kyrie Irving. Kyrie’s flair and ball-handling wizardry was on full display in the series.

However, when Kyrie Irving first came to the Mavericks last season, most fans weren’t thrilled about the acquisition because of his perception as a “locker room cancer.” But in a recent press conference, Mavs HC Jason Kidd had nothing but praise for Kyrie. He said, “We don’t see that perception of what’s been written in the past. He knows how to play the game. He’s worldly which is a beautiful thing. He can talk about other things and sometimes that scares people .”

Even Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks weighed in on Jason Kidd’s comments about Kyrie Irving. He wrote, via his official X account, “People who KNOW Ky gets this..” Irving’s reputation took a hit during his stint with the Boston Celtics. However, his stint with the Brooklyn Nets was nothing short of disastrous. Kyrie could only manage to play 143 games during his four-year stint with the Nets. He was regularly involved in off-court antics, which disrupted the Nets’ title hopes. This created a negative perception around him. But his stellar performances for the Mavs are starting to change that perception.

Kyrie Irving’s brilliance has taken the Mavs to the next level. And with Luka and Kyrie, they have a legitimate chance of challenging the Denver Nuggets’ supremacy this postseason. However, before that they must handle a promising OKC Thunder side in the Conference Semis.

Can Kyrie Irving lead the Mavs past the OKC Thunder?

The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the most impressive teams since the trade deadline. In fact, the Mavs have one 22 out of the 31 games they have played since the trade deadline. One of the primary reasons behind their resurgence is the key trade deadline additions of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. Both Gafford and Washington have provided much needed defensive stability.

However, it is on the offensive end of the floor where the magic happens. Both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are two of the best offensive players in the league. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Mavs are ranked amongst the best offensive teams in the league. But after defeating the Clippers, they would now face the daunting task of playing the 1st-seeded OKC Thunder.

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The OKC Thunder possess stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. Furthermore, the Mavericks have faced difficulties in their games against OKC, managing to win only once out of four encounters this season. However, the Thunder’s lack of playoff experience might give the Mavericks an advantage. Who would come out on top? Let us know in the comments below!