Tim Hardaway Jr. on Mavs’ Desire To Win: ‘Looking Ourselves In Mirror’

On a four-game losing streak as the regular season comes to a close, the Mavericks know the time is now or never to salvage their playoff chances.

When things haven’t gone well for an extended period of time like the Dallas Mavericks have experienced, sometimes the best thing to do is take a long, hard look in the mirror.

The Mavs suffered their fourth straight loss on Sunday afternoon to the Charlotte Hornets, 110-104. It was the team’s 13th loss in its last 21 games.

Not good, to say the least … especially for a team that was on the cusp of being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference just a month and a half ago.

Following Sunday's uninspiring loss, veteran shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. spoke on the Mavericks' issues, including their defense and sense of urgency.

"I don't think offense is the issue. I think it's the other end," Hardaway said of Dallas' defense. "We gotta do a better job as players of being accountable for our play and how we do things out there on the court."

It's all fun and games when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are scoring at will night in and night out, but when that same energy and effort doesn't correlate to the defensive end to the floor for the entire team, it won't matter how many points you score. The Mavs have learned a hard lesson in that department since the trade deadline.

And to Hardaway's point, the blame isn't just on the team's two superstars either -- it's on everyone putting on a blue and white jersey.

"It's cool and all the coaching staff and those guys take the hit -- Luka, Kai, and J-Kidd -- but it's a whole team effort. It's the players," Hardaway said. "We gotta do a better job.”

With seven games remaining, it's do-or-die time for the Mavericks' season as they sit on the outside looking in of the play-in tournament as the No. 11 seed in the West.

"I think it just comes down to looking yourself in the mirror at the end of the day and seeing what you can do to help the team," Hardaway said. "The desire to win has to be at an all-time high right now."

When asked if the desire was there in Sunday's loss, Hardaway said it was in the second-half, but the first-half was the same story as the Mavericks’ first loss to Charlotte on Friday. 

"The same as last game -- too late. It's too late,” said Hardaway.

The Mavericks do need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror, but they don’t need to take too long to figure it out, because it'll be too late for their playoff chances.

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