Kyrie Irving has been a authentic NBA star for years now, and he’s one participant on the Dallas Mavericks who already owns a world championship ring.
These Mavs path the Boston Celtics 2-0 within the NBA Finals, and they’re going to look to get again into the collection when Recreation 3 suggestions off in Texas on Wednesday night.
Huge man Daniel Gafford is without doubt one of the latest members of the Mavs, and he stated that Irving was certainly one of his favourite gamers when he was rising up and that he even wore the guard’s signature sneakers, per NBA TV.
“Kyrie was one of my favorite point guards when I was growing up. I used to wear his shoes all the time and now I’m wearing his shoes in the Finals.” 🔥
Get to know Daniel Gafford with somewhat rapid-fire Q&A forward of tomorrow’s Recreation 3 of the #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/KNmY9kXaLm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 11, 2024
In early-February, Dallas was struggling to remain over .500 once they acquired Gafford from the Washington Wizards, in addition to P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets in a separate commerce.
Gafford, a 6-foot-10 energy ahead who can comfortably play the 5, has given them some much-needed measurement and rebounding up entrance ever since his arrival.
In 29 common season video games with the workforce, he averaged 11.2 factors, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocked photographs in 21.5 minutes per sport, and he has largely stored up that sort of manufacturing within the playoffs.
Nevertheless, the Mavs will doubtless want extra offensive manufacturing from him throughout the NBA Finals, particularly since Irving has been struggling a lot.
Irving, who performed two seasons with the Celtics not too way back, is taking pictures simply 35.1 p.c from the sector and is 0-of-8 from 3-point vary towards his former workforce.
If Dallas loses Recreation 3, it may well just about kiss the world championship goodbye, as no NBA workforce has overcome a 3-0 collection deficit in any spherical of the postseason.