Kyrie Irving’s 30-pt Game 1 Leads to Stephen A. Smith Reiterating His Warnings to Anthony Edwards

Prateek Singh | 23/05/2024
Kyrie Irving's 30-pt Game 1 Leads to Stephen A. Smith Reiterating His Warnings to Anthony Edwards

Before the Minnesota vs Dallas series kicked off, Stephen A. Smith gave a clear prediction in favor of the Wolves. However, that pick was for a general course of action, where Anthony Edwards wouldn’t call out Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, things didn’t go in Minnesota’s favor after Ant-Man challenged Kai for their matchup. In the recent episode of ‘First Take’, SAS discussed Edwards’ mistake and why it wasn’t a good idea, to begin with.

Smith said,

“Of course it was [a bad move] without question. I mean that’s something I’ve been alluding to coming into the series for the last few days.”

Before the game, Ant said, “My matchup [is] going to be Kyrie. So that’s going to be fun. We’re going to see what I can do versus him.” As it turned out, Irving was more than willing to step up for his challenge and ended it with a 30-point performance at Ant’s home.

The media veteran added that he has full faith in Ant’s abilities as a player. He also thinks that one day, he will give the Wolves their first NBA title “if not this year”. Going against an offensive giant like Kyrie, who is performing at his best, might not end well for him. He added,

“We know the handle is nasty. We know his ability to finish at the basket. We know his ability as an offensive magician…If he really wants to mess with you, we know about his movement without the basketball.”

Smith believes that the comment from Ant-Man worked as an added motivation for Kyrie. As a result, he teamed up with Luka Doncic to snatch Game 1. The duo dropped 63 points, in two halves to take control of scoring in different quarters. Another analyst, Brian Windhorst, also praised Kyrie after the first game.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst heaps praise on Kyrie Irving’s transformation

Uncle Drew has battled the stigma around his name about not being a leader for a very long time. Despite sharing teams with superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, he never really took his game to a level where he was seen as their equal.

Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

However, all that seems to be changing for him. On a recent episode of ‘Get Up’, Windhorst commended Kyrie for transforming his game over the last few years.

He said, “I have never seen Kyrie Irving like this in mind, body or spirit.” Speaking on his leadership qualities, he added, “He is the first Maverick on the floor at five in the afternoon, he’s out there on the floor, working on his shots. Physically, he’s in absolutely tremendous condition.” 

Game 1 has already done wonders for Mr. 4th Quarter. If he manages to continue this form for three more games, he’ll finally get his long-awaited, highly deserved-flowers, maybe even in the form of a championship.

Post Edited By: Hitesh Nigam
Anthony Edwards kyrie irving Luka Doncic

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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