Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving embarrasses Damian Lillard in transition

Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are already in the postseason and in possession of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but that hasn’t stopped them from trying to put the likes of Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers in their place.

With Kevin Durant sitting this game as a way to preserve his health before the playoffs, Irving is in charge of taking on a Blazers team that’s playing like their hair is on fire, as they need to pick up a few wins in order to avoid getting stuck in the randomness of the play-in tournament.

Irving could also use this as a showcase to further prove he’s the best point guard in the game, potentially overtaking Lillard in several hypothetical rankings across the league. His latest highlight could help change some hearts and minds, too, since it came against Lillard.

Irving completely humiliated the Blazers star with his handles. The Weber State alum was looking in every direction except the correct one and the Nets picked up two of the easiest points they’ll have all season on this play. You’ll see this one on SportsCenter later.

Brooklyn Nets PG Kyrie Irving schooled Damian Lillard.

Irving came into this game averaging 26.9 points and 6.4 assists per game while totaling some of the most efficient shooting percentages of his career. While he has often let Durant and James Harden take over the scoring load, Irving is proving that he’s among the toughest one-on-one matchups the league has to offer.

With Harden and Durant having suffered hamstring injuries this season, the Nets needed to be sure that Irving can pull off plays like this on a regular basis. So far, the returns look very promising when they let Irving cook at his leisure.

Part of what the Nets are doing in these next few games is figuring out new lineup combinations that could help them throw different looks at playoff opponents. Irving dominating the ball with a bunch of smaller shooters could prove to be valuable.

Irving’s Nets might already be in the postseason, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to refrain from snatching ankles. Everyone who thinks that Kyrie is more skilled than Allen Iverson just received more validation at Lillard’s expense.

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