Luka Doncic doesn't say much in press conferences, but his answers are usually more than three words long. But his most obvious answer came earlier this week about the differences between the Dallas Mavericks, who are preparing to face the LA Clippers, and the past two teams they faced in the postseason in 2020 and 2021. This is the first answer he gave when asked. Only three were needed.
“We have Kai,” he said.
Kyrie Irving has always been one of the most beloved players in the league, and his dazzling creativity on the court is admired and admired by his peers. Doncic hasn't changed at all, and his reaction midweek is a reminder of the upcoming matchup between these familiar teams, which begins Sunday. Doncic wasn't the player he is today, but the Clippers certainly remember how great he was and how much effort it took to beat him in these two series. Now he has a co-star more talented than any player he has ever shared the court with.
Irving turned 32 last month, but Dallas' worst stretch this season coincided with two injury absences in games six and 12. He ended up playing in 58 games, two fewer than his combined total with Brooklyn and Dallas last season, but more than in any year since the 2018-19 season. If necessary, he could match his game total from last season. Dallas rested him for the final two games of the season because the seeding was fixed. Prior to his intentional absence, Irving had played 31 consecutive games, the most in a row in his career. Since 2016.
Irving was incredible in those games. He averaged 26 points, five rebounds, and five assists, shooting 51.9 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from 3, and 91.7 percent from the free throw line. These are slight improvements on his overall season stats, but they're impressive enough on their own. (Irving missed a 50/40/90 season with a 0.3 percent difference in field goal percentage.)
And now Irving is back in the postseason. There he previously won a ring and made a historic shot. No wonder Doncic's answer came so quickly.
Doncic didn't have enough help in his first postseason game against the Clippers, who he played in the NBA bubble, as Kristaps Porzigis was sidelined with an injury midway through the series. (The partnership between the two had been improving up until that moment, but it never recovered and ultimately led to Porzisis' departure.) A season later, things were similar, but Doncic The difference is that he was better and was able to carry Dallas on his own. Stay connected early in the game and stay connected until late in the game. But Doncic was putting in so much effort that his numbers skyrocketed by the fourth quarter. In the series, which the Clippers won in seven games, he shot 35 percent from the field and 28 percent from three in the final 12 minutes of the game, making nine comebacks with just 12 assists.
In a game against the Clippers against James Harden, Doncic will be subject to the same effort that is put on superstars in the postseason. Especially assuming he takes the court at some point despite lingering knee inflammation, which the Clippers are refraining from providing an update on, he could spend time guarding Harden, Paul George, and sometimes Kawhi Leonard. will have to spend. The Clippers have three star creators, one more than Dallas' two perimeter defenders, Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington. And even if Dallas starts this series in coverage, the Clippers will likely target Doncic no matter who he's guarding, pull him into the pick-and-roll and get his feet moving — something we've seen in the team's games. Even if he started this series with coverage like he did before he turned off the ball. The 2022 playoff appearance was meant to avoid burdening him in the first place.
Doncic has been a defender for several weeks. Since March 6, Dallas has boasted the best defense in the league, but that wouldn't have happened without Doncic being proactive, if not always perfect, toward that goal. (March 5 was the team's fifth loss in six games, and neither he nor Irving were good enough in that regard.) Bleeding in compression leggings and limping from various lingering ailments, , Doncic played his best defense. Dallas finished the season with 16 wins in 18 tries before the star player missed the final two games, the best basketball of his career. And it was Irving who made that possible, allowing Doncic to relinquish some of the sole offensive authority he has in every game to a fellow player in whom he has complete confidence.
Due to the uncertainty of Leonard's injury situation, Dallas often appeared to have their two best players on the court, which has been a universal recipe for winning playoff series. This is Doncic's franchise, and he's done even better in the postseason – his career postseason points per game average is second only to Michael Jordan – on an overburdened roster. Despite bearing such a heavy burden for the cause, he had a special responsibility to unite. But Irving takes a little bit of that burden off him, takes some of the burden off him, allows Doncic to do more of what makes him shine, and allows him to offer a lot of his own talent.
Yes, the Mavericks have Irving. That's the biggest difference, and more meaningful than any of the many other changes in how this roster and this team has changed since these two opponents met in 2020 and 2021. . And therein lies Doncic's respect for Irving and his quickness in identifying changes quickly. What Irving brought to you, what he came from.
He knows better than anyone how Irving makes his life easier.
(Top photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
