Kyrie Irving Speaks on Mavs 'Building Through Adversity' as Playoffs Near

As the NBA postseason inches closer, Kyrie Irving isn't taking the Dallas Mavericks' recent success for granted given how long it took them to get to this point.

Although the Dallas Mavericks still have some work to do in the final 12 games of the sesaon in order to avoid being in the NBA's Play-In Tournament, the team is in a much better place than it was around this time last year.

After trading for Kyrie Irving before last season's trade deadline, injuries, a lack of depth and a lack of chemistry all contributed to the Mavs missing the postseason entirely. This season, though, the Mavs appear to be peaking at the perfect time, as they've picked up their play on the defensive end of the court and have won seven of their last eight games heading into an important five-game road trip.

“It feels great," Irving said of his team's success after a 113-97 win over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night. "It is something we don’t take it for granted because it has taken time to build. We’ve had to be patient. We’ve had to build through adversity and also some of our failures. That has been the beautiful aspect of it. Through our struggles, we’ve been able to come out on the other side and see some glimmer of the light and turn it into wins.”

The dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Irving has worked out perfectly this season when both stars have been healthy, but Irving also acknowledges the impact and 'luxury' of now having high-quality bigs on the roster in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.

“It is a true luxury that I don’t take for granted, having a ‘big’ like that," Irving said of Gafford. "And also, D-Live [Derrick Lively II], and have lob threats like that where any time you get stagnant in the paint, you can just throw it around the rim and they’ll go get it."

The Mavs are now 9-1 when Gafford starts, and having a player with the physical attributes and basketball IQ that Lively has as a backup center gives Dallas a dream big-man rotation as playoff basketball nears. The last time the Mavs were in the playoffs, they fizzled out in the 2022 Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors due to a lack of size on the roster.

“It is vital for us to keep attacking the paint and test teams at the rim," Irving said. "It is the most efficient shot in basketball. I just want to continue to have that mentality to attack other teams. It can help us tremendously as we get ready for the playoffs.”

After putting up a franchise-record 18 dunks in Thursday's win over the Jazz at American Airlines Center, they'll look for a repeat performance in Utah on Monday night. After that, Dallas will have a vitally important two-game mini-series against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday and Friday. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for game coverage and standings updates.