5 great things about Kyrie Irving's game winning shot against Denver

By now, you’ve seen it several times. Kyrie Irving’s etheral floating dagger etched in time and already amended to the compedium of franchise buzzer beaters in Dallas. Wow, just wow.

With around a second to go in the game, Irving added a signature moment to his career highlight reel. He also lifted this Mavericks team to their best win of the season. It is rare for a moment to have so many boxes checked - the difficulty, the pressure moment, the larger import on the season, and the chance to deliver in front of the home faithful in Dallas.

Here are five takeaways complete with timestamps from the all angles video released by the Mavericks.

1. Mastering his craft (0:55)

In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell posulated the 10,000 hour rule - which states that in order to achieve mastery, one must devote 10,000 hours to their craft. As Gladwell says here, many misunderstood this to mean that talent was not a necessary ingredient. Gladwell has since clarifyed that it is that massive time committment over roughly ten years which serves as a catalyst to fully realize and express natural talent.

How often have we seen talented players come through the NBA and fail to realize their potential? How often does the money, the fame, and the inherent distractions of being an NBA player stunt, divert, and eventually derail that once obvious potential?

For Kyrie Irving, the opposite is true. Right now, all his injuries and controversies have mercifully faded from the forefront. What we are seeing over the last few weeks and what the Nuggets saw in those final moments is a player who has spent years in the gym building out the outer edges of his craft. That shot went in because Irving has honed his game with intention. At the 0:55 mark you can see his outstretched left hand, as if to say to the world...”I’ve built the left hand game into my arsenal with dedication for moments like this”.

2. The Luka/Kyrie friendship is beautiful and undeniable (2:11)

Much was made of Kyrie Irving’s arrival just over a year ago. In that stretch of games, we saw discombulation in late game situations. With a full training camp and more time to bond on and off the court, the results are showing that Kyrie Irving is an ideal co-pilot for Luka Doncic.

Beyond the obvious on-court fit, it has become increasingly clear over the course of the year that these two incandesent talents have gone beyond the instant mutual respect from last season. The facial expressions and words of solidarity point to a real friendship that has taken shape.

The look of pure astonishment on Doncic’s face seemed to be a mixture of a hilarious punch line and an unexpected turn on a thrill ride. Why? Because he knows. Luka works on that same brand of off-kilter, off-hand, horse-game ending bag of tricks. It also had to feel like the karmic opposite of the Max Strus heartbreaker. It has to feel great for #77 to not be the only source of magic on this incarnation of the Dallas Mavericks.

3. Maxi Kleber’s game winner was one year ago - to the day. (1:03)

Luka Doncic was not the only Maverick with his hands on his head in disbelief. Maxi Kleber inbounded the ball to Kyrie Irving one year to the day after Irving dished a last second pass to Kleber in Los Angeles. Kleber’s game winner was one of the highlights of last season (alongside Luka’s 60 point miracle effort versus the Knicks).

What are the odds that in successive years and on the same calendar day the Mavericks concoct two game winners involving Irving to Kleber and then Kleber to Irving?

4. Cuban enjoys the celebration (2:43)

There have to be a ton of incredible things about being a billionaire most of us will never understand. The same can be said of owning a sports team. Even after selling off most of his stake, Mark Cuban is still there celebrating in the pile with the players.

If you want to praise or jeer Cuban for his tenure, there are ways and reasons to. But in that moment, I found myself pondering just how great that has to feel. Short of having the stature and talent to be a star player in the league and hitting such an incredible shot, it has to be amazing to be in on that frenzy as players and coaches bask in the collective joy. Cuban has the institutional memory from celebrating roughly a quarter century of Maverick moments - from before Derrick Lively II was born. Makes you wonder why more owners are not in those piles and makes you wish that caring that much was a requisite to the sale being approved by the league. Once he is gone, Cuban will be missed and we probably will not see another owner anywhere near this passionate in our lifetime. Give me a flawed owner who gives a damn anyday over one just looking to turn a profit.

5. Denver fan stoically takes it all in. (1:07)

What else can you do but stand there amid the bedlum and take a sip of your beer?