Kyrie Irving Preaches 'Cohesiveness' to Help Land Mavs in NBA Finals
When a team acquires a player of Kyrie Irving's stature in the middle of the season, there's bound to be a learning curve.
Add in Luka Doncic, and you have two superstars who are accustomed to having the ball in their hands more times than not.
But, on Tuesday, the duo of Doncic and Irving showed that no matter who has the ball down the stretch, the Mavericks have two lethal weapons on offense able to close games.
The Mavs got a 120-116 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, led by Irving's game-high 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter. Following the win, Irving spoke on how he's fitting in with Dallas as time goes on.
"I think I really got a chance to be at practice consistently and just build some internal relationships that are going to help me grow as a man and as a player," Irving said. "I know there is time coming in the future where, away from the court, whether it be during the playoffs or gearing up towards the end of the season, there will be some dinners set. Things other than the Mavs Ball where we can come together and really do things that will help us gel as a team."
Irving has been to the mountain top, winning the NBA Finals in 2016 with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he's also been on other teams that fell just short on their climb to become champions. So for this Mavericks team, when No. 2 speaks about what it takes to become a champion, they should listen.
"Most cohesive teams are usually the ones in The Finals," Irving said. "It is not necessarily about talent all the time, it is about how well you can gel at the right time. We want to hit our stride at the right time too."
Dallas currently sits as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, but Irving knows that can change day-in and day-out leading up to the postseason. There is minimal margin for error, and the entire team must be locked in if they want to realize their title dreams.
"I'm grateful for these early games, and we're taking it very seriously, but also understanding that the process is still ongoing," said Irving.
The process will continue tonight as the Mavs visit the New Orleans Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back. DallasBasketball.com is represented well at Smoothie King Center tonight, so stay tuned for more pregame and postgame coverage throughout the day.
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