Wait until Bubba Chuck catches wind of this. In an interview with The Bill Simmons Podcast posted earlier Wednesday morning (June 14), Kevin Durant found himself on the topic of Finals rival PG, Kyrie Irving.
Host, Bill Simmons mentioned that while he was at a friend’s house, he came to the revelation that the Cav’s number 2 was the best all-around point guard. As someone else mentioned Allen Iverson’s name, he seemed to be dancing around that proclamation as he presses the fact that in context, he believes that the New Jersey native is a much better shooter than A.I. Both Durant and Simmons agreed that Uncle Drew’s game is relevant to that of a car “that has everything.”
But the finals MVP took it one step further and admitted:
“Kyrie’s better than A.I.”
As Durant seems to be following in the “why can’t we be friends” tone of Warrior’s teammate, Draymond Green, the small forward gushes about his playoff opponent’s skill, claiming he’s “never seen one person pin his layup on the glass” due to his unique spin. He also notes that his “bag is full of tricks” and “his layup package is crazy.”
Bill Simmons highlights Irving’s ability to “score anywhere from 28 feet in,” “make terrible threes,” and “score on two seven-footers” as reasons why he eventually agreed with Durant’s statement.
Allen Iverson is known as one of the craftiest and ruthless point guards, if not, players of the NBA. So, this debate is likely to test fans’ beliefs just as much as the infamous LeBron James-Michael Jordan comparisons. Speaking of the King, the topic of his #1 fan came up during the conversation – Rihanna. Despite Durant likening the bad gal’s behavior to the culture of the game involving fans attaching themselves to a team or player, he admits that he doesn’t believe the ANTI singer even watches basketball.
On another note, according to career stats, the Duke graduate’s shooting percentages surpass The Answer’s across the board. While Allen Iverson has career percentages of 31.3 and 78.0 for three-pointers and free throws, respectively, Kyrie Irving clocks in at 38.3 and 87.3. Which is pretty close to what Simmons’ estimated 40% for threes on Irving’s behalf. But, the former Sixer’s savior outranks Irving in career assists, total rebounds, and points per game.
It’s always a task comparing players who experience their prime in different time periods, but what’s your take?