Jrue Holiday comes up with humble response on how to shut down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic ahead of NBA Finals

Jrue Holiday is a winner and his basketball resume speaks for itself. While Holiday is well-known for his defensive prowess, he understands his limitations and is aware of the challenges that lay ahead for him and the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals.

It is known to any NBA fan by now that the final series of the 2024 NBA Playoffs starts Thursday between the East-champion Celtics and the Western Conference winners, the Dallas Mavericks. While Dallas has been playing great as a team, they probably wouldn’t be here if not for the heroics of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

Irving and Doncic are especially relevant to Jrue Holiday as the Boston guard will be tasked with defending the dynamic Dallas duo. So, it’s only fair for fans and analysts to be curious about Holiday's strategy to stop Irving and Doncic. However, when Holiday was asked this question a day ahead of Game 1, he decided to pin his hopes on faith.

“Pray,” Holiday said.

While divine intervention can indeed help Jrue Holiday and the Boston Celtics, it’s unlikely for the Eastern Conference champions to not have a few defensive plays up their sleeve.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have arguably been the best backcourt duo in the ongoing playoffs. They have often taken over games in the final quarter to lead the Dallas Mavericks to key victories. This ability of theirs was clearly evident in the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

How have Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic fared in the 2024 NBA Playoffs?

When the Milwaukee Bucks gave up on Jrue Holiday in the summer of 2023 to make space for Damian Lillard, many wondered if the Bucks had made the right decision. Especially since they had already won a championship with Holiday in 2021. If you were among the ones who questioned the decision, Holiday’s first season with the Boston Celtics validates those doubts.

Boston has lost just two games in the 2024 NBA Playoffs so far. The last loss came in Game 2 of the second round against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 9. The Celtics, in fact, swept the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals and Holiday played a big part in the sweep.

Holiday has featured in all 14 postseason games with averages of 12.7 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He shot 48.9%, including 39.7% from the 3-point line and 94.4% from the free-throw line.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been equally impressive in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Doncic was crowned the Western Conference MVP after beating Minnesota in five games. The Slovenian guard averages 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists in 17 games. Irving isn’t far behind with averages of 22.8 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Game 1 of the Dallas Mavericks vs Boston Celtics’ 2024 NBA Finals tips off at 8:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast live on ABC. Fans can also catch the action live on NBA League Pass and FuboTV.