During his 11 years in the NBA, Kevin Durant has come up against some truly elite level players.

One of those is Kyrie Irving, who he has competed against over the last seven seasons.

The Boston Celtics star has established himself as one of the best point guards in the league and is classed by many as arguably the best ball-handler in the history of the game.

His abilities with a basketball are magical and he came of age as a superstar after he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers secure their first championship with some memorable performances in the finals in 2016.

Last year, KD and Irving met at the same stage and even though the Warriors small forward was named as the Finals MVP and inspired the Warriors to a revenge win to claim the title, he left the series in awe of Kyrie.

In an appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast, he said it wasn't until that showdown that he realised just how good the 26-year-old is.

“We had to be on point with those dudes,” Durant said, via Slam Online. “If we weren’t, we were going to lose the game. That’s how talented Kyrie Irving (is)—he made me a believer last year. I liked Kyrie, but when we played against him, I’m like, ‘Oh (expletive). This guy is a king hooper.’

“Kyrie, playing against him in the Finals made me realize how damn good he is. When we played against them, I knew we couldn’t just come out there and just (expletive) around. We had to play the game.”

In what proved to be his final series as a member of the Cavs, Irving averaged 29.4 points, 4.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game.

It ultimately didn't prove to be enough as Cleveland was beaten 4-1 and totally outclassed by the Warriors.

But the five-time All-Star is now producing this magic for the Celtics after securing a trade away from Ohio in the summer.

He showed Durant and the Dubs what he's made of once again earlier in the campaign when he enjoyed an epic duel with Stephen Curry where he dropped 37 points.

The reigning champions could potentially meet Boston in the finals this year as Kyrie hopes to lead his current team past his former team in the east and end LeBron James' dominance.

Listen HERE to the first episode of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring former Cleveland Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin.

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