"Like 2k, he had Mamba takeover": P.J. Washington draws legendary parallels for Kyrie Irving's clutch Game 6 effort

All-Star guard Kyrie Irving had himself a solid game in helping the Dallas Mavericks close out the LA Clippers in their first-round NBA playoff series on Friday. Teammate P.J. Washington could not help but rave about his performance, even drawing parallels to that of the late NBA great Kobe Bryant.

"KAI" struggled in the opening half of Game 6 in Dallas, going 1-of-6 from the field to finish with just two points.

He, however, considerably picked up his game in the second half and along with it towed the Mavericks in pulling away from the Clippers on their way to securing the series-clinching, 114-101 victory.

Irving scored 13 points in the third quarter, going 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3, to help Dallas turn a 52-all tie at the break into an 87-72 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

He took things further in the final canto, going for 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting, as they pulled away altogether.

Irving finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Asked at the postgame press conference for his take on how Kyrie Irving had it cooking in the second half, Washington was simply amazed, saying it was akin to Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" of taking over.

Washington said:

"Unbelievable. I mean, it's like 2k. He has Mamba takeover. He was doing what he does. He's special. I'm just glad I'm on his team."

Waiting for Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals is the top-seeded OKC Thunder.

Kyrie Irving says he is ready to face OKC Thunder

Now that they have hurdled their first test in this year's playoffs, Kyrie Irving is looking forward to the next challenge in the form of the OKC Thunder, and said he is ready for the challenge.

The Mavericks eliminated the LA Clippers in their first-round NBA playoff series with a 114-101 victory in Game 6. "KAI" exploded in the second half to finish with 30 points while Luka Doncic had a near triple-double of 28 points, 13 assists and seven assists in the series-clinching victory.

While relieved to have survived the Clippers, Irving said another tough challenge awaits them against the young OKC Thunder crew in the second round.

He spoke about the series during the postgame interview following Game 6:

"It's gonna be uptempo. We got a young bunch of guys we goin' up against. I think I'm one of the oldest in the playoffs right now ... but we're ready to go up against OKC."

Check out what he had to say below, starting at 1:35:

This season, the Thunder have had the number of the Mavericks, taking their regular season series, 3-1.

Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal series begins on May 7 at the Paycom Center in OKC.