Dallas Basketball

Kyrie Irving on Mavs' Championship Aspirations: ’It's Coming Together Fast'

Following Tuesday's crunch-time victory over the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving showed confidence in where his team is heading.

Michael Mulford

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The Dallas Mavericks (34-32) put an end to their recent clutch-time struggles on Tuesday with a 120-116 victory over the Utah Jazz (31-35).

Down the stretch, it was Kyrie Irving who put on the cape and led the Mavericks to victory, finishing with a game-high 33 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals on 10-18 shooting from the field, 3-7 from 3-point range, and a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line.

"We just gotta build that consistency," Irving said after the game. "I know the fans at home are just as antsy as we are to get this thing rolling."

On this night, Irving surely got this thing rolling in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points of his 33 points in the final 12 minutes to lead Dallas down the stretch.

Irving flat out took over the game in the fourth, even with Luka Doncic sharing the floor. These are the kind of situations Dallas yearned for prior to Irving's arrival, as the load placed on Doncic's shoulders was overbearing and unsustainable for an entire season.

Though it’s still a small sample size, Irving can see the Mavericks gradually molding into the team they need to be come playoff time.

"It's coming together fast," Irving said of the team's chemistry. "And to be honest with you, I think our championship aspirations are really close. But honestly, we've got to take it one day at a time."

Despite being just 5-6 since the blockbuster trade, the Mavericks’ offensive potential has proven to be limitless when led by Doncic and Irving. And if the defense can muster up a few timely stops in clutch moments, this team could just make another big postseason run two years in a row.

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Michael Mulford
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.

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