Underdog Mentality: ‘No One Gave us a Chance’ - Jason Kidd After Mavs' Game 7 Win
On Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world by defeating the Phoenix Suns 123-90 to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011.
Dallas had a big night from beyond the arc, shooting 19-39 (48.7%) on 3s. After the game, Mavs coach Jason Kidd underscored how much the team believed in themselves.
“No one gave us a chance," said Kidd. "A lot of people said it was going to be a blowout. Well, they were right, but they didn’t have us on the winning side.”
Mavericks star Luka Doncic had quite the night, scoring 35 points and adding 10 rebounds. During the game, it was clear that Doncic was having a good time, as he usually does.
The Mavs’ supporting cast also stepped up and made key contributions. Spencer Dinwiddie had a banner night, adding 30 points off the bench. Also, Jalen Brunson added 24 points. Doncic and Dinwiddie became the first teammates to score 30+ points each in a Game 7 since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.
Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Dallas will now travel to San Francisco with an opportunity to book a trip to the NBA Finals if it can knock off the championship-tested Golden State Warriors.
Now let's hear the Mavs talk:
Doncic on the team’s performance:
“Honestly, we deserve this. We played hard the whole series, maybe a couple games we weren’t ourselves. We came here with a statement in Game 7. We believed. Our locker room believed. Everybody believed.”
Doncic on the smile he had during the game:
“Honestly, I’m really happy, man,” Doncic said. “You can’t get the smile off my face right now.
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Kidd on Doncic’s performance:
“He’s Luka,” Kidd said. “He loves the stage. As it gets bigger, he gets better. I thought he set the tone of getting everyone involved and taking shots when they presented themselves.”
Kidd on the team’s defense:
“But I thought, again, defensively was where we set the tone. Our defense was at a high level.”
Brunson on his expectations going into Game 7:
“Honestly, we didn’t expect this type of outcome. But we knew that we had a chance to win this game. And we kept the belief within each other."
Game 1 between the Mavs and Warriors will begin Wednesday night at 8 p.m. CT on TNT.
