Getty Image / Tim Heitman
Another day, another time Kyrie Irving is back in the limelight. The uber-talented, ultra-difficult point guard just can’t stay out of the limelight.
In early February, Irving was traded from the Nets to the Mavericks after demanding a trade out of the situation he handpicked for himself. But, the trade did land him in the backcourt of a true superstar in Luka Dončić.
But, the deal has not been working out. Dončić missed the first few games after Kyrie came on board. But, since they’ve joined forces, they were 1-3 with only a win against the lowly San Antonio Spurs heading into Tuesday’s night game against the mediocre Indiana Pacers.
But, they couldn’t get it done against them, either. Despite a really efficient 39 points from Luka, they decided to give the last shot to Kyrie down two.
FINAL: Pacers 124 Mavs 122
Mavs drop to 1-4 when Kyrie & Luka play together.https://t.co/L3uppgQJnz pic.twitter.com/XMukGLVS7E
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 1, 2023
Great shot selection, Kyrie.
Of course, after the game, Irving had to make it all about himself.
Kyrie Irving after Mavs fall to 1-4 when he plays with Luka Doncic: “Really want to win here, really put a lot of pressure on myself at times. I think I need to scale it back a little bit.” https://t.co/77N5bt8kNc
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 1, 2023
Here’s what the guard had to say.
“I just appreciate the coaching staff and my teammates trusting me with that shot and just the comfort they gave me afterwards,” Irving said after the loss, which dropped Dallas to seventh place in the Western Conference standings. “Really want to win here, really put a lot of pressure on myself at times. I think I need to scale it back a little bit, just because the second half of the season, just feeling like we’ve got to be great every single possession, and usually these learning curves or learning moments happen in preseason, and it’s happening now.
“So it definitely puts a glaring eye on what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong. Easy to criticize, but for us, I’ve just got to focus on being the best that I can be and showing up for not only Luka, but for my teammates.”
It’s funny to see him talking about pressure, because half the time it looks like he doesn’t even like basketball. But, he’s an upcoming free agent, so naturally he’s trying to get a payday.
The Mavs now sit at just 32-31, and if the season ended today, they would be in the play-in. Still 19 games left to play, but they better get going.