The NBA world witnessed Kyrie Irving reach the pinnacle of his basketball prowess during the 2016 NBA Finals. His stellar performance helped the Cavaliers snatch the championship away from the Golden State Warriors. Eight years later, Shaun Livingston has now invoked Kobe Bryant’s legacy to highlight Irving’s brilliance during the Finals series.
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On the Knuckleheads Podcast, Livingston reflected on the former Cavs guard’s seemingly unstoppable performances during the last three games of the Finals. The 38-year-old pointed to how Irving’s relentless effort to create his own shots reminded him of Bryant’s style of play.
“Kyrie was on a different level. The shots he was hitting, you know, them was Kobe [Bryant] type shots, like, shot-making. I’m getting to my spot and then it don’t matter, I’m shooting the fade.”
Livingston’s praise remains justified, considering Irving‘s consistency amid all odds. For context, the Cavs entered Game 5 with a 1-3 deficit. Many counted them out of contention. But ‘Uncle Drew’ wasn’t buying into that. He shot 17-24 from the field to score 41 points in the road clash that changed the series. This performance led the visitors to a 112-97 win and kept their hopes alive.
Game 6 in Cleveland was a rollercoaster. Irving’s 23 points that night gave the Cavs some much-needed confidence. The hosts eventually secured a hard-fought 115-101 win to force a Game 7 back in California.
This gave Irving the perfect opportunity to make a name for himself and he seized it with both hands. Particularly in the final minute of the game, he mirrored the Black Mamba’s style of play. The 8x All-Star shot a side-stepped three-pointer over Stephen Curry to give his team a three-point lead.
This game-winning shot secured the championship for the Cavs for the first time in their history.
This incident filled Livingston with regret. The former Cavs player had predicted that Irving might make such a move in crunch time. However, he realized this was too late.
“What’s cold is I played with Kyrie in Cleveland. So, I have seen him do it before. I have seen him hit game-winners. The one-two hesi off the right… So, I know he got that in him. It’s that clutch. He got that. He want it too. Not only is he gonna make it, he gonna take it. So, it was hard watching that.”
These dramatic aspects made that series truly iconic. It broke records and shattered expectations before turning the improbable into reality. Much of this was due to Irving’s exceptional performance, which cemented his place in NBA history.
