Although Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic had an amazing offensive production, there were no high hopes when they were put on the same team last season. Exactly a year later now, the Dallas Mavericks are just three games away from making it to the Finals, but most importantly, Irving and Doncic have proved what they are capable of as a duo. Many have noticed that in the playoffs this season and the latest was none other than Paul Pierce, who compared the Mavs duo with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a tough time guarding the Mavericks duo in game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Although Doncic was quite silent in the first half, Irving took charge with 24 points in just 20 minutes. Irving had Doncic’s back yesterday, showcasing why they are a great duo. Pierce who took notes of this shared, “This is the best offensive duo, not backcourt…in NBA history…You got two guys capable of really going off for 60 points.”

Luka Doncic did not have much to deliver in the first two quarters but scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 33 points. Irving on the other hand had 30 points, which helped the Mavericks beat T-Wolves, 108-105.

Doncic and Irving have a combined average of 57.4 PPG this season, which helped Pierce to make a comparison with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from the 2002 season. 

Is Pierce hinting that the Dallas Mavericks have the best chance to win the championship this year?

There have been a lot of efficient duos in NBA history like, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat, etc. However, the benchmark for Pierce was Bryant and Shaq, who had their best season with the Lakers in 2002. 

In 2002, Bryant and Shaq had a combined average of 57 points per game. This was the season they won their third championship with the Lakers. Doncic and Irving are averaging a bit more than the above Lakers duo, as they stand at 57.4. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are the only duo who had a higher average than this. 

In the 2019 season with the Houston Rockets, Harden and Westbrook had a combined average of 60.7, but Pierce is sticking to the Mavericks duo as he believes Irving is better than Westbrook on the offense. Mavericks have stolen game 1 at the Target Center. One more win can put the Wolves in big trouble. Let’s wait and watch what happens tomorrow.