Kyrie Irving on Mavs' Previous Winning Streak: 'Doesn't Mean S***'
All good things must come to an end at some point, and in this instance for the Dallas Mavericks, their seven-game winning streak ended with a 133-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
While the win streak drew plenty of eyes and had analysts and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle calling Dallas championship contenders and Luka Doncic an MVP candidate, Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said it won't mean much in the grand scheme of things.
Feb 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Doug McDermott (20) defends in the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
"It's good to go on a win streak and have that success, but that doesn't mean s*** in the regular season," Irving said. "Until we get later down the line and we're aware of where our seeing is, that's a different mindset and mentality. Right now, it's just about incremental progression."
Irving had 29 points, including a nine-point spree that brought the Mavs (33-24) within four points in the fourth quarter, but that's the closest they got before the Pacers responded with a 16-2 run to blow the game open. Luka Doncic also had a strong outing with 33 points, six rebounds and six of the team's season-low 15 assists.
The Mavs' run, especially in the last four games since acquiring P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline, had made them the talk of the NBA. Dallas' seven-game winning streak included decisive wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns, and it had moved up to the No. 6 seed in the West before losing to Indiana (33-25).
Losing to one of the top teams in the East on the road is nothing to scoff at and no reason to panic, though it still shows Dallas has to improve on getting the ball in the right people's hands, especially after they scored nine straight points. It's also proof of how slim the margin of error might be for the rest of the season for the Mavs if they're going to avoid the play-in tournament.
The loss temporarily dropped Dallas from the No. 6 seed to the No. 8 seed. Four games separate the No. 5 and No. 10 seed in the West, and with around 25 games remaining in the regular season for every team, the standings can shake up on any given night.
If the Mavs are going to remain among the West's elite, it'll likely take another big run and shift to the mindset and mentality Irving alluded to in order for Dallas to be among the top six teams entering the playoffs.
"A lot of teams are coming after us," Irving said "You see the media calling us legitimate contenders. I don't think it's our time right now to be listening to all that noise. We just have to focus on one game at a time and get ready for what's ahead of us."
