Kevin Durant won his first NBA championship ring a few days ago and he was also named the Finals MVP. Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games, avenging last year's loss. Durant averaged 35.2 points per game on 55.6 percent shooting, which is incredibly efficient. He was the best player on the Warriors and he definitely deserved to be named the MVP of the series.
Shortly after the NBA Finals ended, Durant made an appearance on Bill Simmons' podcast. The reigning NBA champion talked about the final series of the playoffs and he also took the time to praise his opponent, Kyrie Irving.
Believe it or not, Durant compared Irving to Allen Iverson, saying that Irving is better than the Philadelphia 76ers legend.
'Kyrie is better than AI'
Kyrie Irving was the second-best player on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals and he nearly averaged 30 points per game in the series. Irving averaged 29.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in the five-game showdown. His consistent performances were the reason why Kevin Durant decided to praise him, even though Irving was his opponent in the Finals.
"Kyrie, he just makes you happy when you watch him play. You just smile when you watch him play because for somebody to be that skilled, you know he had to work tirelessly at it. The stuff he has in his package is next-level stuff that you can try to teach your kids to do it, but you’ll never be able to do it," Durant said on the podcast.
Durant also compared the young Cavaliers point guard to Allen Iverson, who is one of the most popular guards in the NBA history. The reigning Finals MVP said that Kyrie Irving is better than Iverson to him and that Irving's handles are better. Durant said how he feels that Irving has more skill than the former MVP.
Iverson vs. Irving
While Kyrie Irving is an amazing player and he's won one championship ring so far in his career, he has a long way to go before he surpasses Allen Iverson. Irving is only 25 and his future is bright, so he definitely has a good chance to finish his career as one of the top guards in the league's history.
It is interesting to note that LeBron James, who is Irving's teammate, believes that Allen Iverson is "pound for pound, the greatest player ever." LeBron said how Iverson played like he was 6-foot-8 and that he was one of the best finishers in the league. However, these comments came four years ago and it would be interesting to know whether James thinks that his teammate is more skilled than Iverson.
