Kyrie Irving was having some fun before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Mavericks guard was all smiles during warmups at the American Airlines Center in Dallas as he poked fun at the Timberwolves, who were trailing 3-0 in the series heading into Tuesday’s game.
“It’s OK. This is their Super Bowl,” Irving said before taking a shot and finishing with a dunk. “It’s just a normal game for us.”
The mercurial star has plenty of reason to smile as his Mavericks won all three games of the series and are on the brink of reaching their first NBA Finals since the 2010-11 season.
The Mavericks took home-court advantage from Minnesota and won both games on the road by a combined four points, including Game 2 when Luka Doncic hit a game-winning step-back three-pointer with four seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Irving had a strong season in the conference finals, scoring at least 20 points in each of the first three games, including a 33-point game in Game 3.
“To me, I feel like we were both born to do this,” Irving told reporters after Game 3. “We’re making money at the end. We’re closing games out when it matters. That’s where we showcase our skill set.”
Irving is now on the brink of reaching his fourth NBA Finals and his first since making three consecutive appearances from 2015-2017.
He averaged 27.7 points per game on the NBA’s biggest stage and has excelled throughout his career.
