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Dwyane Wade, JJ Redick, and More React to Kyrie Irving’s Insane Game 5 Mastery

Published 05/02/2024, 12:25 AM EDT

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Kyrie Irving came to play! If there’s any proof needed to confirm he’s everything Dallas needed, he showed that in five seconds on the court. During the third quarter of Game 5 between the Mavericks and Clippers, with eight minutes on the clock, Kyrie exploded. He singlehandedly made a break that put the Mavs on a 11 point lead. There was no coming back for LA after that one. The Mavericks won 123-93, leading the series 3-2 while the Clippers were down Kawhi Leonard.

Luka Doncic was the high scorer of the game with 35 points. But it was Kyrie’s leadership that stole the show. And caught the attention of more than a few NBA vets.

He came in from behind James Harden, stole the ball, ran across the court, switched to the left hand and did a layup that put the Mavs in 61-50 with significant time in the third quarter. The move was so mindblowing, the NBA community had to sit back and let that sink in. When that was done, they’re spilling on to social media with their flabbergasted emotions.

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NBA on TNT made sure this play is going in the hall of fame. We need Shaq and Chuck to react to this in the post-game highlights. Barkley knew Irving meant business when he rolled up to the arena in a chic black suit. In the meantime, others couldn’t resist. The official NBA page summarized it as “Tough.” 

Dwyane Wade couldn’t hold back either. He gave a shoutout to Kyrie mid game with some self-explanatory fire emojis. LeBron James was similarly going wild over that. Irving was at 14 points in the fourth quarter but was leading the team phenomenally.

While D-Wade was speechless, Kendrick Perkins summarized the show Irving put on display. “The leadership from Kyrie is has been a beautiful thing to see! Just watched him yell out a defensive coverage when he wasn’t even involved in the play.”

JJ Redick had his fair share of posterizing moments but he was also blown away by “That Kyrie pass.”

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Redick is clearly watching Irving. And he has it on good report that Irving is thriving in Dallas.

Kyrie Irving and Dallas, the perfect match

Though Irving and the Mavs have been a good match, some fans can’t get over Boston Kyrie or Nets Kyrie. While his former teammates, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the core of the Boston Celtics some fans criticized Irving for leaving the team. JJ Redick bluntly addressed the criticism.

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If we’re talking about them leaving their teams, I think the answer to that is neither looks bad and neither should look bad,” Redick had said. He advocated that players have the right to want to team up with a “max guy.” In this case, it is Kyrie with Luka Doncic.

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After missing the postseason last year, the Mavs are riding a high on Luka Magic and Kyrie Dazzle. They’re on a 50-32 record so far and one game away from the second round. The winner of this series will play against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Do you think Kyrie will pull that off?

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Written by:

Caroline John

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Caroline John is a senior NBA writer at EssentiallySports. She holds a Masters degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a reputed university. With 8 years of experience in content writing and after judiciously covering the life of Shaquille O’Neal, she even earned an exclusive interview with the CEO of Shaq’s Big Chicken franchise, Josh Halpern.
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