"Has defense, offense, Loyalty": Fans react candidly to Skip Bayless calling Jrue Holiday "better player" than Damian Lillard
Jrue Holiday put on an exquisite performance in the Boston Celtics' 105-98 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on June 9. The one-time NBA champion was the best player on the court on Sunday as his dominance on both ends of the floor propelled the Celtics to a 2-0 lead in the ongoing NBA Finals.
Basketball fans and pundits were mesmerized by Holiday's sensational performance in Game 2 and lauded the veteran guard for his match-winning plays. Joining in the chorus was NBA analyst Skip Bayless, who was also wowed by Holiday's match-winning impact on the game.
Skip Bayless made a big statement while showering praise on Holiday. Skip Bayless seemed to have fired a shot at multiple-time All-Star Damian Lillard during his praise for Holiday.
Skip Bayless called Jrue Holiday a better basketball player than Damian Lillard, whom the Milwaukee Bucks acquired in a blockbuster trade involving Holiday.
"Jrue Holiday is a better basketball player than Damian Lillard," Skip wrote on X.
Several basketball fans and followers reacted to Skip's comment. A significant number of fans seemed to have agreed with Skip's assessment.
"He has defense, offense, Loyalty," a fan lauded Jrue.
"Ya this for real shouldn’t be a debate at least when it comes to playoff basketball," commented another fan.
"Anyone who disagrees with this clearly doesn’t know basketball," replied another fan.
There were other basketball fans who didn't agree with Skip calling Jrue a better basketball player than Damian Lillard.
"Nothing backs this up sadly," a fan wrote countering Skip's comment.
"Better defensively and contributes more to winning basketball, but Jrue is obviously not the better player though," said another fan.
"Kevin love is a better basketball player than Kobe Bryant," wrote another fan.
Jrue Holiday has won one NBA championship in his career so far. Damian Lillard is yet to win a ring in his career. In terms of All-Star appearances, Holiday has two compared to Lillard's eight.
Jrue Holiday's performance in Game 2
Holiday balled out in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. The jam-packed TD Garden was witness to Holiday's masterclass against the Dallas Mavericks. The veteran guard sizzled on both ends of the floor. He knocked down crucial shots on the offensive end while his defense on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving was outstanding.
Jrue Holiday finished the game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 41 minutes on the floor. He shot 11-14 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc. Out of his 11 rebounds, 4 came on the offensive end.