DALLAS — For a building that has been “loud, proud, loud” for 20 years, and for a video currently streaming before the fourth quarter — Kyrie Irving yelling “Don’t be bored!” There is. — The crowd of 20,555 watching Dallas hold off Oklahoma City fell into chilling silence Saturday night when P.J. Washington walked to the foul line with 2.5 seconds left. A one-point difference separated the Mavericks from advancing to the Western Conference finals, but Washington stoically converted the first of three shots. And American Airlines Center is famous for placing exploding heat microphones above the rim of each basket. This exploded the bounce of his second attempt, the game-winning one, for Washington, further heightening the immersion of his basketball immersiveness as the stadium holds the collective Live His Theater His Playoffs . Breathing.
Back in February, on the afternoon of the NBA trade deadline, when the Mavericks were closing in on a trade with Washington, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd was actually in attendance at a Broadway matinee of “And Juliette.” His Mavericks were in New York after their game against Brooklyn and before Thursday night’s game against the Knicks. “It was a good first 30 seconds,” Kidd said, before exiting the game and discussing the contract with Dallas general manager Nico Harrison and the face of the franchise, Luka Doncic.
A year ago, Harrison called Kidd about the unusual opportunity to acquire Irving before the 2022 trade deadline. Before taking over the reins of the Mavericks’ basketball operations, Harrison was well-connected as a Nike executive and had a close relationship with Irving over the years through the creation of the All-Star’s signature sneakers. And while Irving admired the Hall of Fame point guard, Kidd grew up near Elizabeth, New Jersey, Kidd only led the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back Finals appearances. Harrison and Kidd believed it was rare to get an eight-time All-Star selection with one first-round pick, two second-round picks and two rotation players. However, NBA fans were disappointed in Irving’s tenure in Brooklyn, due to his myriad injuries, personal absences and suspensions, and the talented guard’s refusal to comply with New York State’s vaccination ordinance in order to report to work at Barclays Center. You will soon remember that he refused to play in the.
“No journey is perfect,” Irving said Saturday. “So coming into this environment, I was nervous about how I would do on the court.”
Many within the Mavericks considered this blockbuster a masterpiece. People around Dallas and around Doncic thought the Mavericks could make a fortuitous move and ultimately cut Doncic’s involvement with the organization — if the pairing fell apart. In case it goes up in flames like the duo in Shakespeare’s tragedy. But Dallas never hesitated. They reached the 2022 conference finals, but lost in five games to Golden State and lost free agent Jalen Brunson to New York. It is much easier to preach patience, dangle the trading chip every trading cycle, and refuse to have a conversation in the name of safety and avoidance of dangerous risks. As much as the Mavericks acquired Washington and starting center Daniel Gafford, it’s much more difficult to identify and acquire two more complementary starters a year later.
After a scoreless start on Saturday, Washington made two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against Oklahoma City and then made the series-clinching free throws to give Dallas a 117-116 lead over the Thunder. I won. Gafford has epitomized the Mavericks’ more solid defensive identity since arriving at his trade deadline, and in this game he made a nice block on Luguentz Dort’s corner triple. Dallas had a well-publicized affinity for Derek Lively II leading up to last June’s draft, ironically trading the bouncy center to the Thunder in exchange for OKC guard Kason Wallace. obtained. Lively’s swarming surface area with his 7-foot-1-inch frame, 15 rebounds, and strong two-handed finishing in the paint all contributed to Dallas outscoring the Thunder by 26 points in Game 6 when Lively was on the floor. did. He has incredible potential,” Doncic said.
He’s also a Duke product, as fellow Blue Devil Irving reminded Doncic when they shared the postgame podium. All of these factors come together to clinch a trip to the conference finals for the second time in the three years of the Doncic-Harrison-Kidd era. It’s a far cry from the young, happy-to-be-here team that lost to the champion Warriors. “The first year, our defense was unbelievable, and then our offense joined in,” Kidd said.
Irving unlocked another dimension to the Mavericks’ scoring attack. His play felt as light as a feather that often dangled from Irving’s ear as he met with the media, floating around Doncic’s lead until a gust of wind and instinct brought Irving into the fray. Irving was mostly absent from the first half of this playoff game in Dallas, but he caught fire before the game. On Saturday, Irving scored 22 points, punctuated by a ridiculous side-step triple from the left wing with 3:02 left to put Dallas up 110-108.
With this win, Irving improved to an impressive 14-0 in close games over his 13 years in the NBA. Through this lens, the only lens that matters: winning, you can see why Irving’s faithful saw his arrival as nothing more than basketball brilliance. He made the biggest shot in league history in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, sinking the mighty Warriors. He can easily hit a match-winning floater with either hand. And in the right home at the right time, Irving is consistently praised throughout the building as Dallas’ unbridled leader.
“Mentally, mentally, emotionally, they embraced me with open arms,” Irving said of the Mavericks.
It was Irving who implored the Mavericks to give an impromptu speech in the celebratory locker room. With his daughter strapped to his waist, he fought back tears and thanked all his teammates for their sacrifices and efforts. And, “Every word of affirmation we say to each other goes a long way,” Irving said. Remember, in a crucial Game 3 win with a 2-1 lead in this series, Lively stopped running from Chet Holmgren’s grasp, drew a foul, and made a crunch-time free throw. He was the one who ordered it to sink. Irving is someone many Mavericks rely on. “His calming influence on the team. He’s never in a hurry. He’s always calm and always positive on the bench,” Kidd said.
Perhaps his perspective has changed with age to look more closely in the mirror. Irving helped LeBron James reach his third consecutive Finals in his first three trips to the postseason. In five years with Boston and Brooklyn, he didn’t return to this conference finals stage until Saturday night. “I took it for granted,” Irving said. He is currently 32 years old, eight years older than Doncic. It’s the same seniority that James offered Irving when he first teamed up with the Cavaliers. For this Dallas duo, their partnership appears to be built as much on growth as on shared gifts. “The key word we can both agree on is maturity,” Irving said.
They play in the moment and look very harmonious. When asked what they meant to each other as brothers and teammates, Doncic leaned into the microphone before Irving spoke. This time he wanted to speak first. “Yeah, you’re going to give a long speech,” Doncic teased. In fact, the two men take very different approaches to their media duties. Irving is eager to grab the microphone and deliver a poetic monologue. Doncic was traditionally terse, hunching over and finishing everything with a groan. Doncic was as upbeat and outspoken as I’ve ever seen him on this night. This was mainly due to the man sitting on his left. “when [Irving] They just came out and supported everything I did,” Doncic said. “He helped me a lot growing up. It helped me see the game in a different way.”
Two mountains rise around this exciting corner. One is the 7-foot, three-time MVP of the Denver Nuggets, who currently reigns supreme. The other is a supersized front with Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid supporting the rising Anthony Edwards. Whether the Mavericks face Nikola Jokic or the Minnesota Timberwolves after Sunday’s Game 7, Dallas will play the first two games of the conference finals on the road. It’s the same challenge for the Mavericks to beat the top-seeded Thunder, and it’s the same challenge Dallas will need to repeat if the team is to regain the trophy that Kidd helped Dirk Nowitzki win in 2011 as a player.
They have as real a chance as the rest of the teams. This is not the brave group Doncic led to this point in 2022. “Right now, he’s got a veteran next to him and a couple of veterans next to him,” Irving said. “It’s a different run.” This one will also be much more difficult than the last time. Irving himself called the win over Oklahoma City the toughest series of his career. The Dallas staff breathed a sigh of relief as well as euphoria for defeating such a dangerous Thunder team. Shai Gilegas-Alexander scored an impressive 36 points from all over the floor. OKC does not leave the impression of being a viable opponent for today’s Western giants, and rivals across the NBA acknowledge that the Thunder will have something to say about the team that represents this conference in the Finals for the next decade. .
Irving doesn’t have that long, but Dallas has now. The Mavericks are looking to add more players to keep this roster on the upswing, even just before training camp, just as Dallas acquired another postseason hero, Derrick Jones Jr., this past August. Deserves external trust that you will find reinforcements. (Jones punished OKC’s lax defense in Game 6 with 22 points on four 3-pointers). If you ask Doncic, this is just the beginning for Dallas.
“This group has been together for about five months,” Doncic said. “I think we’re going to be able to do a lot more. Big trades, big adjustments, and just… just keep bringing them.”
