Boston — In the NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving would not allow Luka Doncic to be held accountable for the Dallas Mavericks’ 2-0 deficit.
Despite his impressive stat line of 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in Sunday’s Game 2, Doncic identified two unflattering numbers as the main causes of the Mavericks’ 105-98 defeat at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Doncic, who became the only player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in a Finals defeat, along with LeBron James, Charles Barkley, and Jerry West, said, “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game.” I must therefore perform significantly better in those two areas.
“But ultimately, in order to win the game, we need to make shots.”
For the underdog Mavericks to defeat a Boston team that owns the best record in the NBA and hasn’t lost in a month, Irving in particular needs to make more shots.
In Sunday’s defeat, Irving finished with fewer points than field goal attempts for the second straight game, scoring 16 points on 7 of 18 shots. Irving is averaging 15 points on 37.1% shooting in the NBA Finals. Irving scored 30 points or more in three of the Mavericks’ four victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals.
Irving remarked of Doncic, “He’s not alone, and we are going to tell him that.” Like me, he seems to be losing control of his emotions and feels like he could play better. I would bear the majority of the blame. For me, the first two games weren’t the greatest.
In Game 2, Irving and Doncic both had explosive first quarters, scoring a combined 21 points to give the Mavericks a big lead. In the quarter, Irving was 4-of-5 from the floor, but he calmed down under pressure from Boston’s guards.
“Many of the shots were hitting the back rim,” stated Irving, who has not made a 3-pointer in the series and is 0 of 8. As a competitor, that might irritate you, but that’s all part of the basketball game. You also have to embrace the highs and lows of this. That is, in my opinion, the most difficult task when participating in a series. It is your goal to perform at an exceptionally high level, particularly in the Finals.
