The lessons Kyrie Irving learned in Cleveland, with LeBron, and in Boston, now guide his mentorship of Luka Doncic, who in so many ways mirrors The King himself.
"Back then I didn't know how to manage those personalities. I went into every day feeling like I have to be better than my teammates," Irving told ESPN."We were very, very competitive, and the one thing that I always instilled them when I first came there was: stop being afraid to challenge the other guys. That was something that we shared as younger players -- we wanted to establish ourselves as a great team, so that's how we got started.
"These guys on that Boston squad know my game. They know it well and they've been able to scheme for me," Irving said after Game 3 on Wednesday."Getting over this hump is something that's been on my mind for a while. We obviously knew we would have our challenges, but this is what helps us grow." Doncic responded in Game 4 with a brilliant and efficient 29 points to lead the Mavs to a blowout win and extend the series to Game 5 in Boston at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The ways he learned to play alongside James have helped him thrive and coexist with Doncic. But, this time around, Irving is the veteran, not"the kid" as James used to call him. The roles have now reversed.
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