Kyrie Irving is in good health and not involved in any drama as he gears up for his first playoff game alongside Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Irving, who won a championship with LeBron James in Cleveland, mentioned that it’s been six years since he was part of a team with 50 wins in a season.
Thanks to a strong finish to the season, the Mavericks reached the 50-win mark and secured the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings. Their playoff journey begins against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, marking Irving’s first playoff series with the Mavericks.
Reflecting on experiences, Irving expressed determination fueled by previous disappointments and failures. After missing the playoffs last season, the Mavericks are aiming for a deep playoff run, with Doncic leading the charge.
While Irving has tasted playoff success before, he hasn’t advanced to the later stages of the postseason since his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In recent years, Irving faced challenges and drama, particularly during his stint with the Brooklyn Nets, where he teamed up with Kevin Durant and James Harden in pursuit of an NBA title.
Irving didn’t play most of Brooklyn’s home games during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season because he didn’t meet New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine rule.
He faced a lot of criticism after sharing a link to a movie with antisemitic content on Twitter. The Nets suspended him because he didn’t clearly say he didn’t support antisemitism. Nike also ended their long partnership with Irving.
Irving asked to be traded, and that’s where the Mavericks got involved. There hasn’t been any drama since then. Last season, the team didn’t perform well after Irving joined, partly due to injuries to him and Doncic.
This time, they improved the team by adding Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington midseason. With Irving playing, the Mavericks won 24 out of 31 games in a row. But the streak ended when Irving took a break, even though the team was in a good position in the standings.
Irving, who is right-handed, made a difficult shot with his left hand to beat the defending champions, Denver, in March. When Doncic couldn’t play against Golden State, Irving played for 42 minutes and made a crucial pass that helped Dallas win by two points.
Two evenings later, he reached his highest score with 48 points and played for 45 minutes as the Mavs overcame a 22-point lag and defeated Houston in extra time. Doncic contributed 37 points.
Coach Jason Kidd mentioned, “I think Ky’s doing great.” He added, “Especially lately, he’s been playing outstandingly. We’ll need that in this series.” Doncic recently won his first scoring title with an average of 33.9 points per game, along with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds.
Although the Mavs won two out of their first three playoff games without an injured Doncic in the 2022 season, which ended with a loss to Golden State in the West finals, none of the supporting cast members had Irving’s experience.
Irving, 32, has participated in 74 playoff games, while Doncic has played in 28. Irving averages 23.3 points and maintains his career 3-point shooting percentage of 39% in postseason matches.
After seven years since his last playoff run with James, Irving is now in a similar situation with Doncic. Doncic praised Irving, saying, “He’s always focused, both on and off the court. He’s a great addition since last year.”
Irving’s primary goal is to break his six-game losing streak in the playoffs, which ended with Boston sweeping Brooklyn two years ago.
That series marked the beginning of the end for Irving, Durant, and Harden’s time together. Harden is now attempting a three-star run with the Clippers alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Irving expressed his excitement about the challenge of facing the Clippers in the first series, acknowledging the presence of four future Hall of Famers, including LA guard Russell Westbrook.
