Jrue Holiday is gearing up for the 2024 NBA Finals knowing he’ll likely be tasked with stopping Kyrie Irving from going off in the series. Even though Holiday is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, he revealed the only thing he can do to stop Irving in the series is to rely on divine intervention.
“Pray.”
"What can you do to nullify/thwart/stop Kyrie?"
Jrue Holiday: Pray
— NBA (@NBA) June 5, 2024
When you look at the physical matchup of the two guards, it seems like Holiday is physically well-equipped to bother Irving one-on-one. But Holiday has experienced Irving’s lightning-quick handles and speed multiple times in his career before.
The pair have faced off in 20 NBA games over their careers with Irving averaging 24.2 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds over these encounters. Some of these matchups are still in Kyrie’s all-time highlight reel, especially his 49-point masterclass against Jrue and the Pelicans in 2017.
Irving also has multiple 30-point games in matchups against Holiday, showing that Jrue’s defensive instinct and strength aren’t enough to consistently bother Irving’s speed, skill, and finishing ability. But even though Irving can put up numbers, he is 6-14 all-time in the various matchups they’ve had over the last 13 seasons.
Holiday has been solid in this matchup as well, averaging 17.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds. While he isn’t a lock to stop Irving, he will fare better than most guards in the NBA when it comes to limiting the 32-year-old Mavericks’ guard.
Kyrie Irving Is Returning To Boston Without Negative Feelings For The City
One of the most fascinating sub-plots of the 2024 NBA Finals is the return of Kyrie to Boston, with many calling Irving one of the most hated athletes in the city’s history for his doomed two-year stint with the Celtics from 2017 to 2019.
Despite how poorly their tenure ended and how Irving disrespected the franchise in later encounters, he’s coming into the Finals with a positive outlook on the city for playing a role in his journey.
“I would not be here without Boston, literally and figuratively just because without me going through what I went through here, I would not be who I am today… It’s just accepting what I’ve gone through, who I was, forgiving that person, forgiving myself. I’ve done my best not to play the blame game. It’s so easy to blame others or blame what’s going on outside of you but once you go inside and you figure out who you are it’s pretty easy to navigate.”
Irving has averaged 23.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists against the Celtics since his departure in 2019. He is currently on a 10-game losing streak against the 17-time champions, all coming after Irving stepped on their team logo at half-court and appeared to wipe his feet on their mascot, ‘Lucky’.
While the Boston fanbase will be treating Kyrie like a villain upon his return, it seems he will try to maintain his composure while facing the franchise he once promised to re-sign with before joining their divisional rivals. Let bygones be bygones and enjoy a compelling basketball storyline play out in the 2024 Finals.
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