Before the NBA Finals got started on Thursday, Joy Taylor was with Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy on Speak Live and called former UCLA Bruins guard Jrue Holiday the most important player in the NBA Finals.
“Jrue Holiday’s defense is going to be a major factor. Kyrie. This is going to be a challenge for Jrue Holiday. This is going to be his biggest test since 2018 when he was on Damian Lillard, when he held him to 18.5 points per game.”
Holiday’s Game 1 lived up to the billing. He held Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving to just 12 points over 36 minutes. Irving made just 6 of 19 shots in the game.
Not only that, Holiday was able to score 12 points and dish out 8 assists in the game. Here is Taylor talking on the show about the former Bruins guard:
.@JoyTaylorTalks: Jrue Holiday is the most important player in these Finals. pic.twitter.com/aRSr3OM057
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) June 6, 2024
Game 2 of the NBA Finals is set for Sunday. There is no doubt the Dallas Mavericks will encourage Irving to find another gear and get things going in Game 2. Holiday’s defense will once again be a major factor.