Kyrie Irving praises Karl-Anthony Towns for overcoming 'unfair criticism' in Game 4

Through three games of the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns had one of his career's toughest stretches.

Towns was benched in Game 2 in favor of Naz Reid. Through the first three games, he shot no better than 30 percent from the field in any matchup. To top it off, the 28-year-old big man shot 0-of-8 from three-point range in a Game 3 loss.

Not surprisingly, analysts and fans alike were critical of Towns, who responded with a stellar Game 4, scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting while knocking down 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc.

After the game, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving gave Towns his flowers, praising the T-Wolves big man for getting past the "unfair criticism" during the first three games, as Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News detailed.

"Despite the unfair criticism that he's received, he's a great player. I respect him. I know my teammates respect him...That's what great players do. They figure it out," Irving said of Towns after Game 4.

While Towns' performance played a big part in the T-Wolves avoiding a sweep on Tuesday night, they still have plenty of work to do. It begins with attempting to win Game 5 in Minnesota on Thursday to push the series back to Dallas for Game 6.