Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving ready to ‘fight’ again next season after Mavericks finale

BOSTON — The Dallas Mavericks’ improbable run to the NBA Finals ended with a 106-88 loss in Game 5, which allowed the Boston Celtics to win the championship as the fifth seed in the Western Conference. The Mavs’ run consisted of defeating three teams with 50 or more wins, including the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves and fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers.

There have been many ups and downs for this Mavericks team, with a long season starting in September for an early training camp before a 12-day international trip including stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid. Despite some external doubts about Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as a duo, Derek Lively II’s ability to make enough of an impact as a rookie and the team’s overall outlook to improve defensively ahead of a few mid-season trades. season, Dallas put the pieces together for a 50-win campaign that led to a run to the Finals.

It’s a completely different circumstance entering the offseason this year compared to last year. Doncic said he was proud of his team for reaching this point despite being a group that underwent significant changes mid-season.

“I feel good. We made some big moves. I would say we’ve been together for five months,” Doncic said. “I’m proud of all the guys that got on the field, all the coaches, all the people behind it. Obviously we didn’t win (the) final, but we had a hell of a season, and I’m proud of each of them.

After the final buzzer sounded in Game 5, Doncic and Irving embraced and the Mavericks began leaving the TD Garden court. Doncic revealed that the interaction involved the two sharing a mutual understanding that they need to come back and fight together next season and believe they can win a championship.

“Stay together, man. I think just having Kai on my team – I mean, on our team, he’s amazing,” Doncic said. “Just help him. We said, ‘We’ll fight together next season, and we just have to believe it.’ “

While Irving struggled through much of the NBA Finals, he felt the Mavericks answered many of the questions the team faced early in the season. He sees a significant opportunity for the team to continue building on what has already been achieved by knowing what worked and where it fell short against Boston.

“We answered a lot of questions this year about what we were capable of doing and now it’s just about being consistent,” Irving said. “I think probably last week I said I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era and our last champions are new every year.”

Irving shared a similar belief as Doncic regarding the Mavericks’ prospects for next season, saying: “I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive way, where it’s almost like a regular thing for us, and We are in competition.” for the championships. I think from a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn so much about myself, about my teammates, on the organization and on the people around him. I’m not far.”

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd highlighted the impact Doncic had from a young age, leading a team to the NBA Finals at age 25. Kidd considers the standard going forward to be for Dallas to “always” be in contention for a championship.

“For him, at the age of 25, to get to the Finals, to play basketball at the level that he’s playing at, now it’s just about being consistent,” Kidd said. “When you have one of the best players in the world, you should always fight for a title.”

Although Doncic suffered a chest contusion requiring painkiller injections, a sprained right knee and sore left ankle among commonly listed injuries at times during this postseason, he wasn’t interested in using any of that as an excuse . He felt he did not make enough of an impact to guide the team to victory.

“It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, how hurt I was,” Doncic said. “I was out there. I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough.”

Irving was not on the U.S. Olympic roster for the Paris Olympics, but Doncic could compete with the Slovenian national team to help qualify. However, Doncic was not ready to commit to participating in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament, which will take place in Greece from July 2-7.

“I don’t want to talk about what’s next, man,” Doncic said. “I have some decisions to make. I’m just trying to get a little healthier.”

The Mavericks have a quick turnaround time before making any decisions in the NBA Draft. However, they only hold the 58th overall pick at the moment. Their options for making meaningful changes in the future will be limited, but the group feels that patience could lead to even greater results by strengthening continuity.

While the Mavericks still have the same two backcourt talents as focal points to focus on moving forward, there is a luxury in already having a one-two punch at center with Derek Lively II and Daniel Gafford while also having a big wing like PJ Washington. . Dallas entered last summer without any of those elements. Other players signed for next season who also add needed depth include Dante Exum, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber.

One of the biggest questions facing the Mavericks is the future of Derrick Jones Jr. Both sides have expressed a desire to reach a new contract. However, even though his impact on the season far exceeded expectations on a one-year minimum contract, he should surely benefit from a significantly more remunerative contract.

The Mavericks must evaluate whether the internal progression will be enough to justify returning largely the same team, or whether some sort of additional roster change is necessary. The team struggled against Boston’s offense by playing a five-and-out combination, as well as using a four-and-out with a roaming guard in the dunker spot. Dallas might need another wing to handle bigger matchups on the switches. Regardless, more reliable shooting is needed to better open the way for Doncic and Irving to attack downhill.

Stay with MavericksGameday for more coverage on the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA playoffs.

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