Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were best friends and teammates just a few months ago. After their partnership completely unraveled in Brooklyn because of the point guard’s inconsistent focus and the forward’s lack of leadership, the two might never be the same. Sure, they will say the right things and even greet each other on the court, but their friendship has to be fractured after three years of complete disappointment.
Even if they couldn’t win a title together in Brooklyn, Irving, and Durant are two of the most talented offensive players of all time. Irving is posting a career 23.4 PPG and has some of the most extraordinary handles of all time, if not the greatest. The point guard can slice and dice his way through defenses with ease and has a beautiful jumper. Meanwhile, Durant is mentioned among Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the most talented scorer ever as a 6’10” forward with four scoring titles and the fourth-highest career PPG average of 27.3 PPG.
Both star players have at least one NBA title to their name and a host of other individual achievements, but they have also competed alongside some excellent players. Irving and Durant have each played with an incredible list of Hall of Fame players and have been lucky to find themselves in positions to succeed time and time again.
Which superstar player had the better teammates, however? Irving has had some elite players alongside him in Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn, and Dallas, while Kevin Durant has had a host of Hall of Fame talents beside him in Oklahoma City, Golden State, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. The best way to decide which player had the most help is the pit each other’s greatest teammates in a seven-game series.
Since Irving and Durant are the headliners, only their teammates will be placed against each other, which means neither Irving nor Durant will make the cut. It’s time to see whether Kyrie Irving’s starting five of greatest teammates can defeat Kevin Durant’s in an all-time great showdown for the ages.
Luka Doncic vs. Russell Westbrook
This is a battle between two players that are awfully similar but also different. Luka is a below-the-rim star who is high usage and prefers the ball in his hands to be successful. Luka likes to shoot the ball, make plays for others, and also use his size down low against smaller players.
Russell Westbrook is the complete opposite of Luka in the sense of athleticism, because he is the most explosive point guard of all time. However, Westbrook is also turnover-prone and is very high usage as he only excels with the ball in his hands. Overall, both point guards will do a lot for their teams, although Doncic will have a slight advantage in height.
James Harden vs. Stephen Curry
James Harden is one of his generation’s most unstoppable offensive players, and we did not get to see enough of him in Brooklyn due to injuries. He will have no issues getting to the paint against a smaller and defensively inept Stephen Curry while acting as a playmaker and shooter as well.
By the same token, Steph is an elite scorer who is the greatest shooter alive and will have no issues making three-point shots against a shooting guard who is not too interested in playing defense. Both shooting guards will score a ton of points in the series and will even each other out in most categories.
Jayson Tatum vs. Devin Booker
Jayson Tatum was only a rookie when Kyrie Irving was in Boston, but he was still a very good scorer. The Celtics knew what they were doing when they took the talented forward No. 3 overall, and he turned out to be the gem of the 2017 NBA Draft. As a player who can score on and off the ball, Tatum will have to wait for his shots.
Devin Booker has yet to fully get acclimated alongside Kevin Durant because the forward has only appeared in three games with the Phoenix Suns. At his best, however, Booker is a tremendous second option and can even handle being a third option due to his skill set. Yet again, this matchup will be even by most accounts.
LeBron James vs. Draymond Green
This matchup yields a big advantage to Kyrie Irving. Irving was fortunate enough to play with the best version of LeBron James when The King returned to Cleveland after his stint in Miami. James finally learned how to win from Dwyane Wade and was older and far better in his mind. Against any forward, LeBron will always have an advantage, and that includes this one against Draymond Green.
Draymond is a four-time NBA champion for a reason, as he was and still is the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors. Even when Kevin Durant was in Golden State, Green was the leader, and his presence helped earn Durant two championships. As great as Draymond is on defense, and he won’t make life easy for James, there is only one winner in this matchup, and that’s LeBron.
Kevin Love vs. Deandre Ayton
Kevin Love was a tremendous third option for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His sharpshooting and rebounding ability made him a fantastic player to space the floor and also battle the paint to allow LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to do their things. An underrated big man, Love will need to bring his skills to a fantastic superteam and will do a great job due to his unselfishness.
Deandre Ayton is another player who did not get to play with Durant enough just yet but is a talented center who can score inside, make mid-range shots, and also rebound. Ayton is no pushover in the paint, and he will have an advantage against Love when his back is to the basket, although defending the shooter won’t be easy on the other end. Overall, the two bigs cancel each other out by most accounts.
Team Kyrie Irving Advantages
Team Kyrie Irving is simply tremendous when it comes to half-court and fast-break offense. Luka and LeBron are two incredible playmakers who will lead the show, while Tatum, Love, and Harden can both space the floor. This team will simply be unguardable as all five players can space the floor.
Minimizing their team impact will require giving up a lot of points to one particular player at a time, but that also isn’t going to work most times. In a way, Team Irving will force the opposition to pick their poison. No doubt, having elite playmakers and shot-makers will benefit this team the most.
Team Kevin Durant Advantages
Team Durant has an edge in Russell Westbrook’s elite athleticism and Stephen Curry’s long-range shooting. The duo will be tough to handle as the former can attack with pace, and the latter will space the floor. Draymond and Ayton are also playing in their natural positions, while Booker can resume his position as a scorer.
Team Kevin Durant has all five players comfortable in their positions, which means not one of them needs to play out of their ordinary space. Russ can push the pace, Curry and Booker can shoot, and the frontcourt can defend. Team Durant is far more comfortable in their positions than the opposition, and that might have a major role in the series.
Who Wins A Best-Of-7 Series?
This series will waver as the games go by because the exceptional defense can make games last longer than necessary. That is why in Game 1, Team Durant takes a 99-95 victory. Team Kyrie cannot find their rhythm from deep and hardly get to the free-throw line since Draymond and Ayton completely dominate on defense. The backcourt of Westbrook and Curry dominate the game, the former finishing with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists while Curry chips in 33 points on 7-17 from deep. Adjustments are needed for Game 2, and LeBron James ensures that.
The King leads Team Kyrie to victory, dropping 30 points and 11 assists. James Harden also helps out and has a much better game than last time, finishing with 26 points on 11-16 shooting compared to his 5-17 showing the game before. Team Durant cannot keep up with The King controlling the pace of the game in a blowout 122-105 victory for Irving’s teammates. When LeBron controls the pace of the game like this, it will be hard for the opposition to have a chance.
Game 3 is more of the same, except Devin Booker goes off with a 40-point performance. Taking advantage of Team Irving’s relaxed defense, the talented shooting guard goes an efficient 46% from the field, including 6-12 from three. Skipping to the last two possessions, this game goes down to the wire. The score is tied 105-105 in the fourth with 20 seconds remaining, and Booker drains a deep two-pointer to take his total to 40 points. LeBron attacks the paint and finds a wide-open Kevin Love, who drains a three that turns out to be the game-winner as Team Irivng takes this one as well.
But Team Durant responds well in Game 4 and escape with a 2-point victory thanks to a Luka Doncic potential game-winner that rims out. In the 4th quarter, Team Kyrie holds a 10-point lead, with James Harden leading the way with 29 points. But Team Durant came alive on defense, finishing with 4 blocks in the quarter, and Curry scoring 8 straight points to tie the game, followed by an alley-oop to Russell Westbrook. Luka tried a step-back three, but it rims out, and the 2-point victory goes to the opposition.
Team Irving completely shut focus their defensive attention to Harden and Steph in Game 5, as both stars combine for 10-30 from the field. Booker also goes cold, and the frontcourt struggles to get their rhythm with the offensive stars struggling. Team Irving finds their way through LeBron, who notches another triple-double, while Luka makes up for his missed game-winner by going ballistic in the second half, scoring 25 points. With LeBron and Luka dictating the game, the opposition has no answer, and Irving’s teammates get the win and the series lead at 3-2.
Team Durant needs an immediate response after failing to stop Luka, and they focus their defensive attention on him in Game 6. Luka “only” finishes with 22 points, but the opposition gets production from across the court. Westbrook has a triple-double, Curry registers a game-high 31 points, and Ayton grabs a series-high 19 rebounds. Booker also goes 4-5 from the three-point line, completely stunning the opponents with a 14-point victory. Other than an efficient LeBron James, who shoots 55% from the field, Team Irving fails to avoid a Game 7.
In the pivotal Game 7, LeBron and Luka come to life. The superstars score a combined 50 points, going 6-13 from the three-point line and chipping in 15 assists. The two stars dictate the game, which allows Tatum to get hot in the third, nailing back-to-back three-pointers to end the third quarter and give his side a 12-point lead into the fourth. James Harden also gets hot in the fourth, scoring 10 points, including 6 points from the free-throw line. Team Irving is clicking on offense, and Team Durant simply can’t keep up, losing 121-103. With LeBron leading all players in PER and having the most impact in every game, he captures the Finals MVP award.
Final Result: Team Kyrie Irving vs. Team Kevin Durant 4-3
Finals MVP: LeBron James
