The Dallas Mavericks took a 1-0 lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves after a close contest, winning 108-105. It was a fun game to watch, as both teams performed well. Dallas’ two superstars led the charge and won the game for Dallas with a combined 63 points.
Luka Doncic scored 33 while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists, but Kyrie Irving also stood out with 30 points. It was another chapter in Kyrie’s redemption story in Dallas, quickly dispelling what happened in Brooklyn and becoming the leader in Dallas .
As part of the broadcast, Charles Barkley closely looks at what is happening with Irving and the Mavs in the series.
“It's great that people are saying what a great player he is instead of all the stuff in Brooklyn. He’s an unbelievable player,” Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show.
Kyrie is the perfect partner for Luka
When discussing the Mavericks, Luka is always the first player mentioned. He deserves that recognition since he is the best player on the team and a perennial MVP candidate. His production as a scorer and playmaker elevates the Mavs to the highest level, making him a big star.
Despite Doncic being Dallas' superstar, he needs help because he cannot carry everything on his shoulders. That is where Kyrie comes in because he is the perfect partner for Luka. He fits well with the Slovenian as an off-ball scorer who thrives on kick-out passes and cuts to the rim.
Aside from being the perfect partner, Kyrie can also take over whenever Luka has a subpar performance. It is a big deal for the Mavericks because a star always takes over and dominates using their limitless skill set.
It gets even scarier for the opponent when both players have standout games. That happened during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, and it is likely to keep happening if the Timberwolves fail to address their perimeter defense against the two superstars.
Barkley believes the Mavs are the favorites to win the series
Despite having a connection to the state of Minnesota for this series, Chuck believes they are the underdogs and that the Mavericks are the favorites. He was excited for the Timberwolves heading into this series after they beat the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets, but he thinks Dallas has it in the bag.
“When I went back and looked at the tape for two days, man, the Mavs are winning this series,” Barkley continued. “They got a lot of severe matchups. What’s scary about that game last night was they didn't make any shots, I think they were 6-for-30.”
Barkley also noted some issues with the Timberwolves’ play style for this series - he wants Karl-Anthony Towns to be more aggressive by using his size and the rest of the team to guard three-pointers better. Chuck favors the Mavs, but the Timberwolves will surely disagree, and they can prove him wrong at home in Game 2.
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