Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irving Dismantle The Timberwolves To Send The Mavs To The NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks are headed to the NBA finals after two supreme performances from their stars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The Mavs sent the Minnesota Timberwolves home on their own court, winning the series in five games. In order to win the series 4-1, Dallas easily defeated the Timberwolves in Game 5 of their series, defeating them 124-103. Dallas started out not in the first quarter, building a lead that would remain the entire game. Luka and Kyrie incredibly both poured in 36 points in the victory and refused to give the Wolves any chance. 

Doncic, who played like the best player in the world in the first quarter, was the inspiration for everything. In the first quarter, Doncic outscored the Timberwolves on his own, finishing with 20 points on 8 of 11 shots. Then, as the Wolves had a chance to make a run in the second quarter, Kyrie started going off, destroying their hope of cutting the deficit before the half. By the time Doncic rejoined the game, the Mavericks had actually increased their advantage to 20 points. Dallas finished the first half on a huge high note, outscoring Minnesota 17–4 in the last 4:30 of the second quarter to lead 69–40 going into the locker room.

Read More: Boosie Badazz Reveals Why Luka Doncic Signed His Jersey & How He Convinced Him

Luka Doncic And Kyrie Went Off

In the first half, Doncic and Irving combined for more points than the Timberwolves scored individually. They were nothing short of spectacular. While the latter finished with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting, the former finished with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting, six rebounds, three assists, and two rebounds. Dallas shot 61 percent overall and 60 percent from three, while Minnesota shot 34.1 percent overall and 16.7 percent from three. The Timberwolves seemed to lose all fight when the lead ballooned. They were soundly defeated and never really threatened to get back into the game.

Luka Doncic was awarded the Magic Johnson Western Conference MVP Award. The Dallas Mavericks will face the Boston Celtics next week in the NBA finals. The matchup will feature some serious star power with a lot on the line. Luka Doncic is looking for his first championship. All in all, Luka will be looking to cement his name with the greats with a chip. 

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Apologizes To Kyrie Irving: “I Was Wrong”

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Stephen A. Smith Apologizes To Kyrie Irving: “I Was Wrong”

In a public apology to Kyrie Irving, Stephen A. Smith admits his previous criticism went too far and has sincerely apologized for it. Many of Irving’s critics have backed off after the star guard made a comeback in Dallas. At last, Stephen A. Smith let down his defenses and apologized in public to Kyrie Irving for constantly criticizing him. Smith apologized in a video posted to his own YouTube account, titled “Kyrie, I apologize.” He apologized for all of his previous remarks against the Dallas Mavericks star player and other things.

The video is 10 minutes long. In it, Stephen A. said,”I feel the way that I feel because I pride myself in being man enough to acknowledge when I’m wrong. If I think I’m wrong because, I think it’s rare, but I was wrong, and for Kenny Smith to tell me that, it hit home in a big way because we go back more than 30 years.” But the apology was made at a time when several NBA players, including Jaylen Brown and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, were criticizing Stephen A. The most recent incident came to light when NBA icon Kenny Smith disclosed personal details of his chat with Stephen A.

Read More: Jaylen Brown Calls Out Stephen A. Smith For Reported Criticism, Gets Support From Isiah Thomas

Stephen A. Smith Makes 10-Minute Apology Video To Kyrie Irving

In reaction to Stephen A. Smith’s criticism of Kyrie Irving, Kenny Smith shared details of a profound conversation they had. Kenny said that he spoke with Stephen A. about his concerns over Irving’s position since he considered Irving to be a native of their shared neighborhood during the TNT pregame program. Kenny underlined the significance of appreciating Irving’s development as a basketball player and stressed the need to realize that young athletes go through a maturation process that is distinct from their own experiences.

Stephen A. said in his apology video that the conversation with Smith opened his eyes. He said, “I can count on two fingers how many times he’s thought I was wrong and so his friendship, his brotherhood means a lot to me. But it also reminded me of the brotherhood of all of those that mentored me and have been there for Kyrie,” Overall, it is a good thing for Stephen A. To recognize he was slightly out of line with his past criticisms of Kyrie Irving. 

Read More: Stephen A. Smith Accepts Draymond Green’s On-Air Apology 

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Joe Budden Kept The Receipts On Old Kyrie Irving Stories

After a home victory last night, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks are one game away from the NBA finals. They’re up 3-0 on the Minnesota Timberwolves after stealing both games on the road and they’ll get the chance to sweep the Western Conference Finals series tomorrow at home. As deep playoff runs tend to, it’s sparked discussion about the legacies of some of the central players. That included Joe Budden, who is weighing in on Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie has played spectacularly in the series and will almost certainly get the chance to play for his second ring in this year’s finale. While Luka has potentially stolen much of the spotlight especially after his game-winning shot in Game 2, Kyrie’s status is also being re-assessed. Irving continues to be a controversial figure in NBA circles mostly for his tenure on the Brooklyn Nets. While there he made multiple controversial public comments that led to him being accused of antisemitism. The first headline Budden shares reads “He’s your headache now” to which he captions “best headache ever.” Check out all the posts he made reasessing old Kyrie posts below.

Read More: Joe Budden Walks Back Beyonce Criticism

Joe Budden Digs Up Old Kyrie Irving Hedlines

The Western Conference Finals isn’t the only series currently sitting at 3-0. Earlier this week the Boston Celtics took a commanding lead over the Indiana Pacers after stealing Game 3 on the road. Jayson Tatum’s Celtics remain undefeated on the road through this point in the playoffs having won 5 road games already. Later today Boston will have the chance to sweep the series. The status of the Pacers star player Tyrese Haliburton still up in the air. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in an NBA conference final series.

What do you think of Joe Budden holding onto receipts about Kyrie Irving now that the Mavs are approaching the NBA Finals? Do you agree with him that the perception around Kyrie should shift because of this playoff run? Let us know in the comment section below.

Read More: A Look At Joe Budden’s Dating History

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Kyrie Irving Pays Homage To His Late Mother With Special New Shoes

Kyrie Irving has been balling out in the NBA playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks’ star point guard helped secure his team’s advance to the second round by soundly defeating the Los Angeles Clippers. Now Irving and his partner in Crime, Luka Doncic, are facing the no. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the intensity of the playoffs, Kyrie still had time to make a very nice gesture to his late mother. This Mother’s Day, Kyrie Irving is commemorating his late mother, Elizabeth, with a pair of limited-edition ANTA sneakers that represent her “wisdom and protective spirit.”

The Chinese clothing company signed Irving to a shoe deal in July 2023. They revealed on Tuesday that the new Kyrie shoes will be released this weekend. The special sneakers have a lot of references and are a homage to Irving’s mother. The shoe features her name written on the outsole in addition to the phrase “Mother” stitched on the heel pull and strap. The colors and pattern, according to ANTA, also honor the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, of which Kyrie’s grandmother was a member.

Read More: Kyrie Irving’s ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs White” Releasing This Friday

Kyrie’s New Mother’s Day Shoes Show Love To His Mom

ANTA said in a statement, “The new release honors Elizabeth Irving, Kyrie’s mother, whose influence and legacy are woven into the very fabric of this special edition.” Kyrie Irving’s mother died of an illness when he was 4 years old. Throughout his career, Kyrie has talked about the loss several times, expressing how it has affected him not being able to accomplish many career and life firsts with her. The special basketball shoes will be available in men’s sizes 8-to-13 and will be sold exclusively at Sneaker Room in New Jersey. The shoes will go for  $125.

Kyrie has had a massive playoff so far. The Dallas Mavericks are down 1-0 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series looks like it will be a long and hard-fought matchup. The Mavericks’ Luka Doncic has yet to really hit his stride in the playoffs, as he has struggled to replicate his regular-season form. The one-two punch of Kyrie and Luka means that the Mavericks have a chance to beat any team in the world. 

Read More: Kyrie Irving’s ANTA KAI 1 “Playoffs Navy” Official Look

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Jazz Ask Rabbis To Remove Pro-Jewish Signs Aimed At Kyrie Irving

A group of Utah Jazz-supporting rabbis has claimed they were asked to put away signs reading “I’m a Jew and I’m proud” during a game against the Mavericks. Furthermore, they claim that the request was due to complaints from Kyrie Irving. Rabbi Avremi Zippel and three of his colleagues sat at the Delta Center with their signs with the intent of attracting Irving’s attention due to his anti-Semitic comments in 2022. According to Zippel, Irving acknowledged the signs in the first quarter. The Mavs veteran reportedly told Zippel and his friends, “Nice, I’m a Jew, too. Don’t gotta bring something like that to the game.”

Soon after the interaction, Zippel claims security approached his group and told them to remove the signs. The official cited a rule about holding signs in courtside seats. However, Zippel also claims that another staffer later informed him that the removal was due to Irving filing a complaint with security. While Zippel said he had previously checked the rules about signs, the team issued a statement after the game. “No matter where someone is in the arena, if a sign becomes distracting or sparks an interaction with a player, we will ask them to remove it. During an out-of-bounds play in the first quarter of yesterday’s Jazz game against the Dallas Mavericks, there was a group sitting courtside whose signs sparked an interaction with a player that created a distraction and interfered with play of game,” the Jazz said.

Read More: Kyrie Irving Signs Massive Deal With Chinese Sportswear Giant ANTA

Kyrie Irving Says Return To Mavericks Was An “Easy Choice”

Kyrie Irving returned to the Mavericks after a brief explosion of free agency drama. Irving said he was “happy to come back” to Dallas after signing a three-year, $126 million deal within the first hour of free agency. “It wasn’t too difficult of a process. Had Dallas as number one on my list. Obviously, I looked elsewhere — salary cap opportunities, where I could fit in with other guys around the league. But there just wasn’t much space. And me being 31 now, I had to have a different vantage point. And I felt like I could not just settle here but be happy to come back here and be welcomed back with a warm embrace.”

He continued. “So I took everything into account. I took my time a few days before free agency just to be with my family, gauge how they felt about being in Dallas alongside me. And everybody was excited. I mean, even when I got traded here, midseason, a lot of my family was excited. They were just looking forward to me having a peace of mind just on the court and off the court. I had already dealt with enough past season or the past two seasons. So they knew that I just wanted a lot of that off my back and off my shoulders of feeling like I had to be Superman or I had to be perfect. So I think this is the best place to do it and continue to mature and grow as a man.”

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