Kyrie Irving makes legendary Luka Doncic prediction amid Thunder series

On Saturday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks battled the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Dallas got the win 105-101, taking a 2-1 series lead heading into a pivotal Game 4.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 44 points in the win, and they are taking this team to new levels one game at a time.

While the Mavs are focused on their series with the Thunder right now, fans' eyes were glued to their TVs last Wednesday night as the NBA MVP was announced on TNT. Nikola Jokic ended up winning the award with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic coming in third.

Kyrie Irving says Luka Doncic will win his first NBA MVP soon

Although Doncic had a great case for being the MVP, Jokic ended up taking his third MVP. There are plenty of reasons as to why Doncic deserved the MVP, but Mavs fans will just have to wait until next year for their superstar to have a chance of winning this award.

He was extremely close, being a top-three finalist this year, and according to Irving, Doncic will be winning his first MVP "very soon."

"If you look at his numbers across the board and you look at how he was carrying our team, that's nothing short of an MVP," Irving said about Doncic.

Irving is 100 percent right in this, and Doncic not even being in the top two for voting was wild. He led a Mavericks team that battled injuries all season to the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and he did so while averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from downtown.

Doncic's numbers don't tell the entire story of his historic season, and the tear that he went on at the end of the season to help the Mavs go on a 16-2 run was phenomenal. He took his defense to the next level this season as well, and his improvements as a shooter haven't been talked about enough.

Doncic could likely care less about the MVP, as his focus always remains on winning, and Irving's prediction could come as soon as next year. Dallas is in a prime position to be good for years to come considering the rate that their youth is developing combined with the growing chemistry between Doncic and Irving.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.