Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry have shared many battles over the years. Not long ago, the two were battling it out on the biggest stage, competing for a Championship in the NBA Finals.
While the stakes for their latest matchup were not quite as high, it did deliver another classic experience for the fans, who haven’t seen these two players face off in quite some time.
By the end of the night, Kyrie and his short-handed Nets took the loss, but he had nothing but nice things to say about the Warriors star.
Kyrie: “I love Steph, man. The guy has completely revolutionized the game.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) January 30, 2022
Naturally, the NBA community always has Irving and Curry at the center of comparisons and debates. Steph obviously is the more accomplished and impactful player, but there are some who argue that Irving is the more skilled, and more clutch athlete overall.
“I wouldn’t want to take a shot for my life,” said Richard Jefferson. “I’m gonna give it to– He’s not the best person I’ve ever played, because I played with Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki and Bron and Steph and all these people, but the person that hit the biggest shot that I’ve been part of is Kyrie. And it’s one of the biggest shots in sports history. It’s one of the biggest singular plays in American sports history. Like baseball, football, like what was at stake in that moment? 3-1 comeback, back-to-back unanimous MVP (Stephen Curry), you’re on the road against a team that had never lost back-to-back games at home all year. All of these things went into this equation and he stepped up and hit a 3 like it was a layup. If I had to have one person shoot for my life, [it would be Kyrie] because that shot changed my life.”
Steph, a 3x Champion, has already cemented himself as the greatest shooter in basketball history. His marksmanship creates amazing opportunities for his teammates and his play has almost singlehandedly transformed the Warriors into a powerhouse.
Kyrie isn’t quite on that level, but he does have Steph beat in certain areas, especially ball-handling.
Whatever the case, comparisons aside, it’s clear that both have a deep respect and appreciation for each other. Let’s just hope we get to see them face off again in the Finals sometime soon.
