'It's a Team Game!' Kyrie Irving Speaks Out on 'Me & Luka Doncic,' Mavs Pressure & 'Pointing Fingers'

Being an NBA superstar comes with the pressure of leading your team to success, which Kyrie Irving of the Mavs suggests can be warranted but also unfair.

Michael Mulford | Mar 25, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

DALLAS - With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks face an uphill climb.

With their 117-108 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, the Mavs fell from the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference to existing on the outside looking in as the No. 11 seed.

Following the failure, Kyrie Irving spoke on where the Mavericks stand and the pressure that exists for him and Luka Doncic.

"I expect to win every ballgame I play. That is the attitude I have," Irving said. "But the reality is what it is. We are 3-7 (when Doncic and Irving play together). But ... as much as people want to put it on me and Luka, it is a team basketball game."

Since Irving's arrival, the transition has not been easy. Along with adding a superstar player in Irving, injuries have hindered Dallas' chances to build chemistry and climb up the Western standings.

But, as Irving said, when you have two superstars like Doncic and Irving on the same team, the pressure will be on their shoulders. ... and at the same time, to raise that Larry O'Brien Trophy, it's on the collective.

"We talk about that in the locker room. Everyone likes to point the finger at what we are doing, but it is a team game," Irving said. "I feel like when we focus on our team aspect, we get clear answers. But when we focus on two guys and what their numbers are and whether we can play better, it limits all the other guys and their capabilities.

"I believe in each one of those guys."

But, no matter what adversity stands in Dallas' way, whether it's injuries or the lack of continuity, Irving knows they 'have to get ready' if they want a chance at the postseason.

"I haven’t necessarily been as healthy as I would have liked, and other guys haven’t been as healthy, including Luka,'' he said. "But ... there is no time for excuses, we just have to get ready.”

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Published Mar 25, 2023

MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.