Mavs' Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic Still See Hope: 'We Shouldn't Give Up Yet'
MIAMI — After losing to the Philadelphia 76ers 116-108 on Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks have lost five of their last six games — further worsening the team’s outlook to qualify for the NBA play-in tournament.
With another loss, the Mavs now hold a 37-40 record and find themselves a whole game out from the 10th-ranked Oklahoma City Thunder. Without the tie-breaker, Dallas has more ground to cover than what the surface may suggest. The outlook to qualify for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference is looking continually bleak.
"I think that now, again, just where we are in the season, and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of looks like a bit of a clusterf---, to be honest with you," Irving said. "Because we're 37-40, and we're trying to fight to get into the play-in game. It's not the expectations I don't think any of us had in that locker room."
Irving has continued to adjust to not only a new team, but the ongoing process of getting acclimated was complicated due to injuries. It seemed almost as though once Doncic was returning to the lineup that Irving was then sidelined, and vice versa. Both players have been on the floor recently, but the team is 4-9 when both superstars play.
Without a full training camp to install an offense or to iron out defensive nuances, the Mavs have had to work through a lot of layers of the game with a fundamentally flawed roster. Irving has been impactful, averaging 26.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 17 appearances.
"We're learning each other on the fly and just learning how to win ball games and keep a mental edge over our opponents no matter who we're playing," Irving said.
"So we're definitely learning in that direction. But in terms of the now where we are controlling our present destiny as a team going against the Sixers, I feel like we had a great chance to win this game, and, you know, just our poise down the stretch just wasn't at a high level that we needed to get this win, and they took full advantage of it."
After totaling 23 points, six rebounds and five assists against the Sixers, Irving offered his candid, veteran perspective, as he tends to do after each game. After the midseason change, the perception will naturally change, and he’s prepared to live with the results that come.
"I didn't expect to ask for a trade at that point in the season," Irving said. "So I wanted to finish out with Brooklyn, finish out with the season that we had going, and I didn't get a chance to do that. So some of the goals I had previously this season had to be shifted, and I had to be more than willing, which I am, to be flexible and adaptable and live with the results, whether we make the playoffs or not.
"I just have to be at peace with where I am and which I am, and trust of the guys that I'm going to be in that war room with every single day,” Irving explained. “So, I'm appreciative of them giving me the opportunity. It's been nothing but great here. And I've been at peace."
"So it's been good, outside of the losses, of course,” Irving explained further. “We'd like to win every game."
The most recent loss was a disappointing one for the Mavs, given how razor thin their margin for error has become. Dallas was in a real position to win against the Sixers as led by as many as 12 points. After taking a 103-100 lead after JaVale McGee recorded a dunk, Dallas was outscored 16-5 over the final 7:07 of regulation.
Doncic, who finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, expressed that it’s naturally been frustrating to continue to struggle to win games as a team. Given how tight the play-in race has been after previously holding a playoff spot, the Mavs are in a tough position.
"It's definitely frustrating," Doncic said "We were in a playoff spot and now we're trying to get in the play-in, so it's obviously frustrating."
Down the stretch in recent clutch losses, Irving has often been spacing the floor from the strong side corner as opposed to being deployed in an action or initiating the possession. When asked about
"Just staying aggressive and understanding that in that six minutes, where the NBA game is now in 2023, you can get a lot of possessions up,” Irving said. “There are a lot of shots from the 3-point line that are coming that are ricocheting off of long rebounds. That's how a lot of offensive rebounds happened down the stretch. And then just pushing in transition and making a smart play.
“There were a few times we had the gravity of the defense on one of our players, and everybody else was on the perimeter, and we all felt like we had a great shot, but we all just gotta trust that whoever has the ball is gonna make the decision for us,” Irving explained.
"So, the patterns of the clutch schemes that I feel like we've grown from is just making quick decisions,” Irving explained further. “As long as we stay in an aggressive mode and the trust is there, then I feel like we'll be fine."
With five games remaining on the regular season schedule, the Mavs remain optimistic regarding their ability to still turn things around. However, coach Jason Kidd explained that looking beyond the play of the team’s superstars, especially with how many open shots the offense generated but failed to convert.
"I think it's always possible," Kidd said. "It's, you know, just your belief system — if you believe in it and have positive energy and not be selfish. That's where it starts. It's about the team. You win as a team, and you lose as a team, and you try to get better as a team. It's not just, you know, [Kyrie] and Luka. Everyone got open shots tonight, and we just got to be able to make them.”
The messaging from Doncic is clear: no excuses, just win. There isn’t time to worry about building chemistry. He understands the Mavs must do whatever it takes to win. Finding answers on the fly will be a necessary process for Dallas to undertake.
"I mean, I don't think it's about chemistry," Doncic said. "We just got to win games. That's it."
The Mavs return to action on Saturday when they take on the Miami Heat, marking the fourth stop in part of a five-game road trip.
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