DALLAS — In a crucial Game 2 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving embraced a different role. He finished with nine points but had 11 assists, helping his team win 119-110. Even though Irving wasn't his usual scoring prowess, he contributed to the Mavericks' victory with his all-around impact.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd praised his team's unselfish approach and how the team intentionally featured P.J. Washington early in the post to give the Thunder a different look. Also explained. As a result, Washington showed a hot shooting performance overall, making seven three-point shots and scoring 29 points.
“We ran him through a little bit in the post and I think that lit him up,” Kidd said of Washington. “He was huge for us tonight, but I thought we didn't go to Luke or Kyrie early.” he said. “We just made plays. We just let the ball find them. We went to other players and thought the ball was moving. The players were moving. We were unselfish. The players were hitting the target.”
With Luka Doncic scoring 29 points for Washington, Irving read the game and felt that scoring wasn't what was needed to achieve victory. He focused on continuing to play within the flow of the attack, doing all the little things on both sides.
“It's just winning basketball games, but apart from that, we're just getting started and everyone's on board. This is not my time to press,” Irving said. “It's time to do other things to be successful. It's just part of continuing to move forward as a champion.”
Irving emphasized the importance of staying focused on the job, regardless of an individual's scoring performance, even if someone doesn't hit their ideal shot in a game.
“No matter what shots I get, I just stay focused on the job at hand,” Irving said. “Everyone around me is shooting well. Everyone is getting great looks. I'm not necessarily getting the look I want, but if I'm sneezing or This is not the time to have hard feelings.”
Irving, who often dished the ball to big players in the paint and found open shooters, often accepted the coverage the Thunder laid out and used it to his team's advantage.
“It's just a focus on doing the other little things to get this win,” Irving said. “So, 11 assists feels good, but I was just playing another role that I could play, just being out there on the defensive end, and we're trying to give them a tough fight.”
Doncic emphasized Irving's all-around impact, especially his defensive contributions throughout the postseason. He took on the challenge of guarding a head-to-head matchup with James Harden to turn the tide of the series before eliminating the Los Angeles Clippers, and continued his strong defense against Oklahoma City.
“He can do everything on the floor. We should talk about his defense. He's been playing great defense this playoffs,” Irving said. “I know a lot of players don't talk about this. He's been great on both sides and helped everyone. It's great to have him on our team and learn so much from him.”
The Mavericks' ball movement was key in Game 2, and Doncic emphasized the value of countering the Thunder's double teams by getting his bigs involved, especially when he has an advantage.
“We were sharing the ball. I saw more hits coming and double teams, and when you see that, you've seen it all regular season, so you're kind of used to it,” Doncic said. “We just take the big hits and then make plays from there. We have a lot of space and we have some good players.”
Kidd also praised Irving's defense, even though he's not a player who tends to be praised for his contributions in that area, given Irving's usual offensive prowess.
“This guy has been great throughout the playoffs,” Kidd said. “His defense, he's not usually called a defender, but he's been at a high level lately. He's up for the challenge. Tonight, he not only set up a platform for a lot of guys offensively. , also played great defense, which we need.''We move forward.'' ”
Thunder manager Mark Daigneault also praised Irving's instincts for playing with the ball, saying he brings great value to the Mavericks' defense. Thanks to his postseason performance, Irving manages to recover and pry the ball away when he feels the opponent has an advantage.
“He's very handy. He's got great hands. It hurts a lot. He's got great talent in that regard,” Daigneault said. It's painful because it's hard enough to get cracking and fend someone off, and when you finally get an advantage and then he creates something out of nothing on those plays, it's tough . He’s really competed on that end of the floor. I respect his current fighting style. ”
The Mavericks' victory ties the series at 1-1, and Game 3 will be held Saturday at American Airlines Center.
read more: Mavericks beat Thunder in hard-fought Game 2, taking series to 1-1
read more: PJ Washington steps up for Mavericks in Game 2 against Thunder
read more: Kyrie Irving predicts Luka Doncic will win MVP 'soon'
