Former NBA Star Makes Controversial Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving Statement

While Curry has always been considered the better scorer and more accomplished player in general, Irving has typically been regarded as a better ball handler (perhaps the best of all time) and a tougher player to cover.

Curry or Irving?

Despite Irving's ball-handling prowess, one former NBA All-Star made a surprising comment when comparing the two point guards. On Friday's episode of the Club 520 podcast, Jeff Teague agreed with a co-host that Irving was actually easier to cover than Curry, admitting he'd rather guard Irving. In Teague's case, he would rather guard an iso-specialist like Irving than an off-ball machine like Curry.

"It's harder to guard those players (that just run)," Teague said. "Because you got to go around so many screens and stuff like that. You're getting constantly screened, getting hit. Iso players, it's just you and him.

"I'd rather guard Kyrie. At least you know where Kyrie is gonna be. You're going to catch him right on that hash, wherever he's going to be, and he's going to iso you. You look one way, Steph is taking off the other. You got to catch up. It causes too much havoc, with how he moves."

Iconic Rivalry

Curry may have a 3-1 advantage over Irving in the NBA Finals, but Irving has a trump card of his own. That would, of course, be the game-winning three-pointer that Irving buried in the final minute of Game 7 of the NBA Finals, ending the Warriors' record 73-win season in shame in what's considered perhaps the greatest game in league history.

On the flip side, with a competitor of Curry's stature, that moment also surely played a significant part in motivating Curry to dominate the rivalry between the two stars since that moment. While Irving will spend most of this season nursing an ACL injury, the Mavericks are expecting him back at some point during the season.