Kyrie Irving reacts to claims he and Luka Doncic are best backcourt ever

Stan Van Gundy turned some heads when he labeled Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic "the greatest offensive backcourt in NBA history" last week. SVG doubled down on his take Sunday as he witnessed Irving and Doncic each score 33 points in Dallas' 116-107 Game 3 win over Minnesota.  

"It's the most talented backcourt in the history of the NBA," Van Gundy said during TNT's live broadcast.

So, does Irving agree with SVG's assessment? 

"It doesn't mean anything if we don't win a ring together," Irving told reporters after Sunday's game. "I say that very responsibly, too. I'm not saying we're not great now, but there are other backcourts more deserving right now of that recognition. I think once we put a good run together, we can look back, and reflect on it, and that'll be our time. Right now, I want to show a lot of respect to the guys who came before us and have actually done it [won a championship]. I think our time will come. We just have to keep putting in the work and continue to feed each other that positive affirmation and energy."

Those comments are indicative of a player focused on the bigger picture. As a former NBA champion, Irving isn't willing to get carried away by a few accolades and praises. 

Irving's poise has seemingly rubbed off on his running mate. That would explain why he and Doncic have been taking turns in "taking over" games down the stretch against Minnesota. While Doncic dominated in the fourth quarter of Friday's Game 2 win, it was Irving's turn on Sunday. The Duke alum scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth as Dallas closed out Minnesota to seize a 3-0 series lead. 

With Doncic and Irving scoring over 30 apiece again, the duo made some history, further validating SVG's tall claims.