Just how difficult was Kyrie Irving’s buzzer-beater? Austin Rivers breaks it down! | NBA Today

Just how difficult was Kyrie Irving’s buzzer-beater? Austin Rivers breaks it down! | NBA Today

When I was watching Kyrie Irving hit that shot I I think the only adjective the only descriptor I had in that moment was like ah do you do something better they said it’s a hook shot he threw that thing what are you talking about hook he

Threw it in with his left hand well we’re keeping with the theme I think Madness is also an appropriate way to describe what we saw if you missed it this is exactly what we are talking about the defending champs in town visiting the Dallas Mavericks Patrick Mahomes his wife Britney mAh also in

Attendance we’re going to pick this one up seven minutes left in the game the Mavs up 11 Jamal Murray drives but gets it blocked there by Derek Lively Mavs coming the other way Luca donic I mean there’s nothing you can do about that perk no not well not once he gets you on

Your on his hip he’s getting right down to the basy he’s so crafty well notice he was staring at his left hand too that was ominous in the building right that was ominous for something to come but really Nicola yic when he gets a full head of steam there isn’t much you can

Do about that this is the guy you want to have the ball in your hands tie game Jamal Murray pulls up pieces you know what I am a cold cold man here though Dallas down three out of the timeout huge shot here from Luca donic Big Shot

Man that’s what he does Mark cubin in his uh his St Patrick’s Day Green is loving it once again this is the guy you want to take a shot couldn’t quite get to go how many times have we seen him make that shot though Austin I have I I

Don’t mind the shot I just mind when he took it cuz left R for this and then there was what about this one the level of difficulty what’s yic supposed to do joic plays this perfectly he’s on his right side he defends the shot he chases him up to the top of the

Key I mean luuka didn’t even know what to say no Luka Luca was stunned because usually he’s the guy who’s needing to take the shot in the final seconds he said wait a second there’s another person who can hit it with the left like that no freaking way we mentioned

Patrick Mahomes was in the building here’s him with Kyrie Irving after the game greatness dog greatness yes sir I felt good uh it’s a play that we work on uh during shooting round pretty often so um being lucky enough and fortun enough to hit a left-hand floater

Outside the free throw line I thought I got a little closer in the paint but when I looked at after the game and I was uh pretty far out but um you know shots that I work on and uh just being idex and being able to trust the the

Skills that I work on when no one’s watching and you know fortunate enough it went in tonight I mean look at this and this isn’t even quite to scale because we know that Kyrie Irving was about 20t from the Bas you know the magic of Television here but it was

Really the magic of Kyrie Irving can you just describe how difficult how insane this shot was I don’t know what’s more impressive the fact that he’s able to make this shot or the fact that he chose to take this for game it’s just shows you the the level of confidence that he

Has in his left hand his off hand I mean look at this right here we’re seeing a guy being contested by a seven-footer 68 guy behind him doesn’t know where that’s happening going away from his left and it’s not even a straight floater as you

Can see kind of has like a sign wine like he almost like tossed the ball in from past the free throw line an incredible shot this guy’s skill level was not talked about it enough I got to see it firsthand a little bit uh lockout

Year was his rookie year I was at Duke coming in as a freshman he stayed on campus so we played a one-on-one time after time day after day I would play Perfect Defense on this guy Malika and he would hit me with some crazy left-hand hook stepping on the dime can

Finish you know either hand he really is one of the best finishers to ever play the game of basketball and every time we see moments like last night where we reminded why he’s so special I I have no doubt that you were playing Perfect Defense say iron sharpens iron you’re

Not the only one though who noticed this shot last night around the NBA folks were reacting you have LeBron James who knows something about Kyrie Irving making absolutely insane shots he said that is freaking insane Kyrie you are sick and then of course Damen Lillard he

Chimed in on social media as well Jaylen Brunson he added that Kyrie is so whole lot of O’s there tough not kind of thinking we need to take a look back some of Kyrie’s Lefty Wizardry because this isn’t the only one this is 2015 against the Spurs he had 57 in this game

Brian best games that he’s had his c yeah I actually was on the bench I got front row tickets oh well what about this one 2016 this is in Sacramento oh my goodness what and then of course we’re going to go ahead perk this is 2018 this is with the Celtics and this

Is in Madison Square Garden come here uh the the fact the English the the finger Road in traffic but to get to that shot and then of course it all accumulated in yesterday’s shot maybe the most difficult shot he he’s ever hit you know perk you we see him at practice I used

To watch him a practice he obviously used to work hard on that left hand but he would do shots in games that I know he didn’t practice and I asked him about that once and he said I’ve been practicing with my left hand my whole life I’ve been preparing for that my

Whole life also hitting his stride right he’s played in 18 consecutive games for the first time since 2016 Luca he’s quite possibly playing the best basketball of his career as well but I keep coming back to is this Duo enough is what they are doing at this level

Enough for the Dallas Mavericks to make a deep and meaningful run it is it is and and and think about 265 and five that is what Anthony Edwards is averaging right now guess who else is averaging similar numbers Kyrie Irving who’s the number two option on the team

And it’s it it’s a shame because it actually took for krie to have this spectacular shot for us to really wake up and say you know what krie Urban has really been balling out because he’s been quiet and actually playing the game of basketball and so when I look at the

Western conference right now the Clippers are are going through their trying times right now Paul George Paul George just said about you know they trying to find their identity do we really trust the Sacramento Kings right now they’ve been up and down like the only team that we actually could trust

Is the Denver Nuggets and who was that game against the Denver Nuggets so anytime you’re trying to reach a goal or trying to find an identity what’s how like going against the defending champs is no better measuring stick than that yeah so here’s here’s if you’re building

A case for why the Mavericks could do something this postseason what you would look at is the way that the trade deadline changed their size and I heard niik leoka say something after the game last night that really struck me he said you know we we were smaller than that

How often you hear Denver say they’re smaller than some very rely and if you looked at the way that the rebounds played out in this game you never see Denver get out rebounded like this also offensively Dallas owned the offensive glass and that’s because they bring two seven-footers Off the Bench and if

You’re constructing a way that you’re going to slow down the Nuggets you got to throw multiple big time Big guys at joic and Derrick Lively their rookie now I’m not saying this would happen every night Derrick Lively really held y get down defensively so I’m telling you size

Is going to be a big factor in the matchups in the west Dallas now has the size to give themselves a chance against some of these matchups you guys make good points I mean this team is a very dangerous ball Club you know you look at

Their top of the top or you always try to break down playoffs usually coaches only play seven guys so always try to find like the top seven eight guys on each roster and if you do that for Dallas they’re a very dangerous team and with that being said my my concern with

Them is defense absolutely you know know they they they don’t play defense they allow 117 points the only team in the playoff picture behind them right now is the Los Angeles Lakers um I do like that they’ve gotten siid with Gafford I think PJ Washington is an upgrade from Grant

Williams just in terms of fit and style of play um but I don’t see this team you know consistently enough play defense to where I can confidently put my confidence behind them in the playoffs making a run where I see them beating a Clippers in seven games let alone the

Nuggets or beating even a Minnesota Tu wols who plays on both sides of the ball and has like but Austin right now we really don’t see a team in the Western Conference playing cons defense consistently outside of the nuggets in the Minnesota Timberwolves to be honest with you and and great point

About Gafford and and D Derek Lively two athletic bigs who are being mentored by NBA champion and the veteran and Tyson Chandler that that goes a long way for sure for sure right I and also I mean I don’t want to over it was a spectacular gamewinner but the the West it’s still

Absolutely spacular game still that’s what I’m saying that’s what I’m saying I think they’re really good and exciting March is all about Champions March is also about freshman phenoms and oh my goodness Brian does it seem like Victor wanyama is hitting his stride we’re going to pick this one up

In the in the first quarter here the Spurs on the break wanyama just comes through the lane slams it down this was like one of about seven or eight things he did in this game that jaw dropped you this is just way look at that cross look at this reverse

Yeah what are you going to do with that nothing that don’t even look natural nothing there’s nothing you can do a good like his hand time I know right look at that but he can and he can block with his you got get you got to pass it

Out just the discipline also to stay he was about to try third I know over and over this was no fair because the Nets are so small it’s like playing with kids oh my good that’s crazy that ability at that size how he visualizes things before they happen on the floor that’s

Something he has to have thought about doing he’s getting real comfortable right now and that’s scary for the rest of the League this yeah man I said there’s like seven things we’re not even there yet left hand right see there you go said I saw what Kyrie iring did

Earlier it feels like the the Rookie of the Year race it was tight for a while and now Victor seems to be having his his final St look that he’s just too big he’s too big for them look at that but I love how but but I love in these

Highlights we’re see a mixture of both his ability to put it on the floor and his ability to play in the paint absolutely and his ability to hit from distance as well that shot has become much more consistent for him here so the last 13 games he’s averaging five

Assists and five blocks did you I just said five assists and five blocks that’s crazy into overtime we go more of the Victor wanyama show I love that though he’s he’s getting to the basket man he’s living through the paint and then letting the jump shot come come later

But of course because it’s Victor he has to seal it on the defensive end Victor watching hunting pins it against the backboard the are we sure he can win Defensive Player of the Year 122 115 well he did a 33 points 15 rebounds seven assists and seven blocks in this

One he became the second rookie with 30 points 15 rebounds five assists five blocks in a game since blocks became official in 7374 he actually joined fellow Spurs number one overall pick David Robins who did that back in [Applause] 1990

Just how difficult was Kyrie Irving’s buzzer-beater? Austin Rivers breaks it down! | NBA Today
Austin Rivers, Kendrick Perkins and Brian Windhorst react to Kyrie Irving’s lefty buzzer-beater against the Denver Nuggets and debate whether Luka Doncic and Kyrie is a good enough duo for the Dallas Mavericks to make a deep playoff run.
#nbatoday #nba #espn

0:00 Nuggets vs. Mavericks recap
2:20 Court Work with Austin Rivers
5:15 Luka and Kyrie duo enough for Mavericks to make a deep playoff run?
8:40 Victor Wembanyama’s Nets vs. Spurs highlights

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