Kyrie Irving Is Proving Doubters Wrong in Dallas

He will forever have skeptics. But the Mavericks are on the doorstep of their first NBA Finals in more than a decade and Irving is chief among the reasons why.

Irving scored 33 points in 42 minutes in Game 3 as the Mavs took a 3–0 series lead over the T-Wolves. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — As the clock ticked towards zeros in Game 3 of these Western Conference finals, Kyrie Irving wrapped his arm around Luka Dončić, and in that moment the NBA’s unlikeliest success story let the roar of the crowd wash over them. Three games up, three games down for the Dallas Mavericks, the latest a 116–107 win that put the Minnesota Timberwolves in a hole that should bury them. No team has come back from a 3–0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series and no team facing the firepower of Irving and Dončić ever will.

Who believed in this last winter, when Irving muscled his way out of Brooklyn and onto yet another NBA roster? Sure, an Irving-Dončić pairing offered potential but we had seen this play before. Irving had been on successful teams, paired with superstar teammates and it all inevitably ended badly. Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn—Vesuvius left less carnage. Across the league eyes rolled when the Mavs committed $126 million to Irving last summer, certain that Irving’s time in Dallas would end the same way. 

Except it hasn’t. Dallas is on the doorstep of its first Finals in more than a decade and Irving is chief among the reasons why. There are things about Irving that are familiar, the feathery jump shot, the wizardry with the ball. Irving scored 33 points in 42 minutes in Game 3. He shot 60% from the floor. He was 40% from three. He scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, beating back the T-Wolves with spinning layups and midrange jumpers. 

“Mr. Fourth quarter, right?” said Dončić. “He’s amazing.” 

But there are unfamiliar things, too. Those that know Irving remember the defiant star in Boston, the detached one in Brooklyn. In Dallas, that version of Irving is as foreign as heavy snowfall. Teammates praise Irving’s leadership. “He’s mentoring the younger guys on what it means to be a pro,” said Jason Kidd. The Dallas coach notes Irving’s maturity and his willingness to defer. 

“Kai’s been around the block,” said Kidd. “He doesn’t mind being second or 1B. You just don’t find that a lot of times in this league.”

Deep down, Irving will never consider himself a second option. He’s too proud for that. Take any greats from any era—Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, LeBron James—and there’s a part of Irving that believes he and a few buddies from the old New Jersey neighborhood could compete. Even now, at 32, Irving remains a prolific scorer. Informed of Kidd’s comments, Irving shrugged and smiled. 

“To be honest with you I don't care at this point in my life being 1A or 1B or B and C as a second option,” said Irving. “I just look at it as just winning basketball.” 

Everything about Dallas suits Irving. After a career spent in cold weather climates, Irving has embraced the steaming Texas heat. “Seasonal depression is real,” Irving said. In Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard, Irving has a kindred spirit, a leader he can truly relate to. Kidd has urged Irving to study the games of older generations. Not just Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant but Robert Horry and Scottie Pippen, winners who always found ways to impact it. 

Irving has had a long list of star teammates, from LeBron James to Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant to James Harden. Dončić is the latest, and this partnership appears built to last. Dončić chipped in 33 points of his own Sunday. It’s the third time Irving and Dončić have combined for 30-plus points in the same game this postseason, the first starting backcourt in 50 years to pull that off. It’s not your turn/my turn with Dončić and Irving, just a patient, disciplined approach. 

“Ever since I was young, I've always felt like I'm one of the best in the world because I'm able to play with other great players,” said Irving. “I don't ask for the ball, I don’t demand it. I'll play defense, I'll do all the other things that don't show up on the stat sheet. And that's always what I've wanted to be remembered as.”

“He [has] brought that calmness to our team, to me, the maturity," Dončić said of Irving. "It's been unbelievable to have him on our team.” / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Dončić has meant a lot to Irving. But so, too, has Irving to Dončić. The Mavs have cycled through a string of would-be wingmen in Dončić’s six seasons. Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kristaps Porziņģis—none have been able to stick. On the court, Irving draws defenders. Off it, he’s a guide for Dončić through uncharted playoff waters. Late in Game 3, Dončić remarked to Irving how tired he was. 

“He told me that's the way it’s supposed to be,” said Dončić. “He [has] brought that calmness to our team, to me, the maturity. It's been unbelievable to have him on our team.”

Said Irving, “I used to think leadership was just about me, me, me, and taking on the brunt of all the responsibility. No, that's not even close to it. You got good people around, good family, good friends, [who] love you unconditionally, anything's possible.”

There will forever be skeptics of Irving. In Boston, where Irving is blamed for setting the team back. In Brooklyn, where Irving’s decision to ask out put the team on a path toward a rebuild. To them, Irving is a ticking time bomb, an organizational nuke just waiting to go off. But they don’t see what the Mavericks see, the leader who is happy being a soldier, the star willing to take a supporting role. In Dallas, Irving says, he has found peace. 

Mostly, anyway. As Irving finished up his press conference Sunday his two children shrieked outside the curtain, just tired kids waiting for Dad to take them home. Irving smiled and winked, answering a few more questions before ducking off the dais. 

“I feel like it's a great chapter that's being written right now,” said Irving. “I'm enjoying every step of the way.”