"I'm proud of Luka": Kyrie Irving hails Luka Doncic’s alleged "you can't f**king guard me" taunt at Rudy Gobert

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving once again led the Dallas Mavericks to an important and unexpected win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 Western Conference finals. The Mavs trailed by as much as 18 points but ended up securing a dramatic 109-108 win in the final seconds of the game.

Luka Doncic drained a clutch 3-pointer over Rudy Gobert with three seconds on the clock, allegedly taunting the reigning DPOY with 'you can't f**king guard me.'

Following the match, Kyrie Irving was asked about this Luka moment, explaining his view on the play and the subsequent reaction from his star teammate.

"I mean, when the switch happened, I felt like the ball was in the right person's hands. He got a great chance to create some separation on that step back. And I'm on the wing looking at it like, this matchup, I like. I like Rudy on Luka for the game ... Luka made the right play," Irving told Rachel Nichols in the locker room after the game.

Talking about whether Gobert, a four-time DPOY award winner, could guard Doncic, the 2016 NBA champion agreed with the Slovenian's comments.

"In Luka's case, yeah, I do. That's just confidence in the moment and having that opportunity to have a big man down the stretch is something you dream of as a kid. He had the offensive positioning, so it worked in our favor tonight. I'm proud of Luka," Irving added.

Irving noted a key factor in that possession. The Timberwolves never sent the double team at Luka, who was isolated against Rudy Gobert, a notable defender who always struggles against shorter players.

Doncic revealed after the game that, despite acknowledging he's slow, he believed he could move faster than Gobert. This decision was costly for the Timberwolves, who are now 2-0 down going to Dallas.

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Luka Doncic denies telling Rudy Gobert he 'can't f***ing guard him'

Luka Doncic also had some things to say after the game. He cleared up the whole 'you can't f**king guard me' comments aimed at Gobert, denying he said that. When asked about the comments directed at Gobert, Doncic clarified to reporters that he didn't say that and was simply speaking in his native language.

"Who said that?" Luka asked when a reporter brought up his comments against Gobert. "I didn't say that. I was speaking Slovenian," the Mavericks star said sarcastically.

The Mavericks are in a privileged position going back home. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and company have the chance to finish the job at American Airlines Center, but the Timberwolves are still alive in this series.

That said, Minnesota will need Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns to put forth their best performance if they hope to turn this series around.