Kyrie Irving will not allow Luka Doncic to be held responsible for the Dallas Mavericks’ 2-0 NBA Finals defeat.
Despite Doncic’s 32 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists in Sunday’s Game 2, he blamed the Mavericks’ 105-98 defeat to the Celtics on two unattractive figures in his stat line.
“I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game,” Doncic said after becoming the fourth player in NBA history to achieve a 30-point triple-double in a Finals defeat, after LeBron James, Charles Barkley, and Jerry West. Therefore, I need to significantly improve in those two areas.
“But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”
If the underdog Mavericks, under the leadership of Kyrie Irving, are to defeat the NBA-leading Celtics, who have not lost in more than a month and have the best record in the league, they must raise their field goal percentage.
This is the second game in a row that Irving has finished with fewer points than field goal attempts; in Sunday’s defeat, he scored 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Irving is shooting 37.1% from the field in the NBA Finals while averaging 15 points per game. He scored 30 points or more in three of Dallas’ four victories against Minnesota in the Western Conference finals.
Irving reassured Doncic that he would not be alone by telling him that. Like me, he’s letting his feelings show and believes he could play to his potential. The weight of the duty would fall on my shoulders. I wasn’t very good in the first two games.
The Mavericks stormed out to an early lead in Game 2 thanks to explosive first-quarter performances from Irving and Doncic, who scored a combined 21 points. Irving started the quarter hot, making four of five shots from the field. However, he cooled down as the Boston guards applied pressure.
“A lot of shots were hitting the back rim,” Irving said, reflecting on his 0-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc in Sunday’s game. As a competitor, it may irritate you, but that’s just basketball. There will be highs and lows, and you have to roll with them. In my opinion, it is the most difficult obstacle to overcome when playing a series. Playing in the finals increases the pressure to perform at your very best.
For whatever reason, I’m not very happy with how I’ve been converting the chances that have presented themselves to me in the lane. I know I’ll be up against Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown on occasion, but there are instances when I believe I have the upper hand and need to score.
During the Finals, Irving shot 32.3% from the field while taking shots off the dribble, going 10-of-31. In the first three playoff series for Dallas, he made 42.9% of his shots, including 21 of 58 from beyond the arc.
He looked stunning. Coach Jason Kidd of the Mavericks stated that Irving just refused to get down. Let’s just say that’s how basketball works. They may be homemade on occasion. Occasionally, you won’t. Keep playing, you dweeb.
Because of a thoracic injury that he thinks he sustained when taking charge in Thursday’s Game 1 defeat, Doncic was designated as doubtful until after his pregame warmup session. Despite this, he played 42 minutes. Since the third playoff game, he has been dealing with a strained right knee, and early in the second round, he has been experiencing left ankle pain.
Half of Game 2’s 32 points came from Doncic’s scoring. The second half saw five of his eight mistakes, and the Celtics scored nine points off of those inbound passes.
“He was fantastic,” Kidd said of Doncic. His words don’t change the fact that he is who he is. He takes the lead. He’s not entirely to blame. Teamwork is key. As a team, we achieve victories and endure defeats. He placed us in a precarious situation. Tonight, he truly shone. We were unable to overcome this obstacle, regrettably. Our defense was excellent, in my opinion. We just must attend to the ball.
