It was a unique postseason for Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, with the veteran playing a different role in every round.
He got off on the right foot against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, a game-changer at both ends of the floor. When they took down the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinal round, it required him to be more of a facilitator. Then, dispatching the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals, his focus was on scoring.
At this point, Irving was averaging 22.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on .485-.421-.828 shooting splits. His play wasn’t the only headline-grabber either, as he was getting high marks for his maturity. It wouldn’t be unfair to say he was on top of the world, as he hadn’t gotten that much positive publicity in years.
That’s when everything went downhill. In the 2024 NBA Finals, Irving averaged 19.8 points and 5.0 assists per game, but only made 41.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 27.6 percent of his 3s. He struggled against the Boston Celtics’ ball pressure. He couldn’t consistently capitalize on his open shots.
Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Speaks Mind About Finals Loss
While streaming on Twitch, the 2016 NBA champion spoke about the his last Finals appearance. As expected, he was transparent and accountable.
“Last year was definitely a disappointing year from the standpoint of not winning the Finals as a team and coming up short,” Irving admits. “We got there for a reason, you know? Blood is definitely in the water.”
Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving on losing the NBA Finals and his outlook for this season:
“Last year was definitely a disappointing year from the standpoint of not winning the Finals…We got there for a reason. Blood is definitely in the water. I’m always going to take… pic.twitter.com/glrp3PJzx2
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) September 5, 2024
“I’m always going to take my accountability. It starts with me… Did not play my best at all down the stretch in the season and it’s been eating me alive in a healthy way, just staying motivated.”
“We’re gonna be back,” he assures.
Will The Big 3 Model Work?
Irving’s Mavs will have a good chance at returning to the NBA Finals, health permitting.
Any team with Luka Doncic, a prodigious scorer and playmaker, is always dangerous. With a backcourt mate many consider to be the most skilled offensive player of all-time, Dallas is that much more dangerous. Now they’ve added a four-time NBA champion in Klay Thompson, who’ll replace Derrick Jones Jr. in the starting lineup.
Swapping Jones for Thompson lowers their ceiling defensively, it raises it offensively. To that point, Jones is a career 31.6 percent 3-point shooter, whereas Thompson has made 41.3 percent of his 3s. With more floor and less vertical spacing, the geometry also changes. Now, the Mavs can expect more open space inside the arc, which benefits Irving and Doncic.
The Big 3 model doesn’t work out for every team. They’ll have stiff competition, with several teams appearing to be legitimate title-contenders. Nonetheless, in the parity era, a team with as much talent as the Dallas’ has a shot at a ring.
