4. Kyrie Irving- Dallas Mavericks
The stomping on the logo, the fans in Beantown. They are all memories for Kyrie Irving. But last we checked, he's got championship experience. See 2016 for more details, including one shot that won the Cleveland Cavaliers a title, only for all the credit to go to LeBron James. Irving, meanwhile, got his fame, but went through some difficult periods in his life, including Boston and Brooklyn, before finding his way to Dallas.
It's a wonderful story of a man turning the corner and finding his peace. Against the Nuggets and Timberwolves, the former Duke star looked like a man obsessed with ensuring that those who even questioned him would live to eat their words and suffer shame. Though Luka is going to get most of the credit for the success, Irving's arrival and mere presence on the court are enough to cause problems for any defense.
Irving will need to continue his hot shooting streak that he showed in Game 5, given how versatile Boston has been despite a relatively easy path. Still, the Mavericks have shown that they aren't an ordinary 5-seed. They are very much capable of winning this series, and for some in the analyst world (notably Lebron fan Nick Wright), they are practically begging for that result. To see the dream come to fruition, Irving will have to keep the green shooting light on full throttle.