Kyrie Irving probably has the most pressure entering Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
While Boston blitzed Dallas with the return of 7- footer Kristaps Porzingis (20 points) , who was all over the court in the first half rejecting shots, popping threes and being the overall unicorn menace he’s known to be, the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving failed to live up to the hype in Game 1.
Kyrie Irving Laid Egg In Game 1 NBA Finals
Luka got his numbers: 30 points in 28 minutes, but his wingman had an historically poor playoff game with just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting.
No one could have predicted such a poor game from Irving who admits that he thought he would get more resistance from the crowd in his return to TD Garden since playing for the Celtics.
So while everything went right for the Boston Celtics, for the most part, the one constant for the Mavericks, along with Luka, came up short.
He says he has to take some accountability for misinterpreting the vibe and misreading the crowd. It seems to have affected his approach to the game and we all know Kyrie has to be in a certain mental state to be at his best.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving Didn’t Play Like Best Backcourt Ever
All week we heard the hyperbole about Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic being the best backcourt in NBA history. The respect the media has for these two guys is so high that many picked the Mavericks to win the series despite being outmatched and having less talent overall then the Boston Celtics, led by dynamic duo Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
As we saw in Game 1, the two star players on the Mavericks can’t slack and expect to defeat the Green Machine. Irving is capable of scoring 30-40 points in his sleep, but this isn’t the regular season, and the Celtics are no regular team.
They have very few weaknesses outside of their addiction to the three-pointer.
This was going to be a very rough series for the Mavs to win even with their platinum backcourt rolling.
Dallas Mavs Fans Panic After Kyrie’s Poor Game 1
For starters, they need more than 12 points from Kyrie Irving to have any chance to win the title
If anyone knows about shaking off bad games and coming back it’s Kyrie, who helped LeBron James come back from an historic 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA finals against a 73-win Golden State dynasty team.
So we can’t count Kyrie out, but Luka won’t be able to do the heavy lifting, alone and if the Mavs have any chance of winning this series, Kyrie will have to play on a hall of fame level. He can’t afford anymore stinkers because there’s no time left. He has to nail these last six games.
“Just got to stay confident and stay poised throughout this, man,” Irving said after Game 1. “This is the best time of the year to be playing. There’s only two teams left. Let’s put it in perspective. The environment is going to be what it is but my focus is on our game plan and making sure my guys feel confident and I feel confident and continue to shoot great shots.”
Dallas Mavs fans don’t seem to be as confident as Irving and were panicking on school media.
The crafty veteran isn’t sweating it and he had some words for Mavericks fans who are ready to jump off a bridge after one game of a seven-game series
“It’s not the first time we’ve heard Dallas fans are panicking. Shout-out to our fans,” Irving said. “We appreciate your support all year. Just stay poised, man. Stay focused on the goal. The mission is bigger than us.”
Kyrie is always trying to keep it Zen. He’s the last person that is going to panic because he trusts in his skills and the culture they have established in Dallas.
After losing Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what involved blowing a 14-point lead, his messaging was consistent.
Dallas went on to take Game 5 and ultimately won the series.
“Don’t panic, and just stay poised,” Irving said. “It’s not time to have irrational emotions towards a game like tonight, you know what I mean? We know how we played. We’re honest with each other, and we had the game pretty much in our hands and control, and then down the stretch… we just didn’t make enough of the clutch plays.”
Expect a huge Game 2 from Irving and for Luka to be Luka, but it stil might not be enough to defeat a Celtics squad that is clicking on all cylinders, and playing with a grudge. Trying to close the deal on an elusive championship is the only focus.
If Dallas is going to do what is shaping up to be the impossible then it starts with the dynamic point guard from New Jersey, Kyrie Irving
