Warriors Ex Picks Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Over Steph Curry as Most Clutch Player

Being teammates with Steph Curry didn't sway Andre Iguodala's decision on who he fears more in the clutch between him and Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.

Few players have seen Steph Curry grow from a guard with immense potential to the greatest 3-point shooter of all time like Andre Iguodala. 

But even after spending eight of his 19 seasons in the NBA with Curry, if one player had to take a shot to win a game, Iguodala wouldn't pick his longtime teammate. Iguodala spoke about the one player he chose to take a game-winning shot on the Ryen Rusillo Podcast, and he picked Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving.

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"Kyrie Irving, it's not even close," Iguodala said. "For the last-second shot, I'm going with Kyrie. You're talking about fear factor at any given moment or for that moment, Kyrie. With Steph, he's proven to teams you can double him, and if you could just try to get the ball out of his hands, that's the way to combat him. With Kyrie, he's just so good. You can't get the ball out of his hands."

The memory of Irving making the game-deciding shot over Curry with under a minute left in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly plays a role in Iguodala's decision-making. Irving's shot sealed a 3-1 comeback for Cleveland and won its first championship in franchise history. 

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The fact that LeBron James was willing to let Irving take that shot and Iguodala would take him over everyone to take a potential game-winner speaks volumes about the Mavs guard's ability to come through when the pressure is at its highest. It also shows part of why Dallas is a dangerous matchup for anyone if it makes the playoffs. 

If Irving can live up to Iguodala's praise of him and Luka Doncic continues to average nearly a 30-point triple-double every time he steps on the court, it'll make the Mavs a dark horse to make a deep playoff run if both continue their postseason success.