The ongoing NBA regular season is bringing up a lot of exciting moments, as well as some moments of disappointment. Even though they currently rank as the 8 seed on the Western Conference points table, the Dallas Mavericks have been having a pretty good run over the past few weeks. The trail of disappointment, however, seems to have hit them as they recently came across a bump on the road.
The Mavericks recently faced off against the Indiana Pacers. Point guard Kyrie Irving, along with his teammate Luka Doncic, led the charge for the Mavericks by securing 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Despite the gallant efforts of the two efforts, the team ended up losing the game by 22 points. It was a devastating blow, as it brought the Mavericks’ 7-game win streak to an end.
During the post-game press conference, Irving addressed the loss by congratulating the Pacers and stating that his team is still a “young” and “developing” group. While possessing the 7-game win streak was something to be proud of, Irving believes that it should not be the benchmark that his teammates should set for themselves.
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“Yes, it’s good to go on a win streak and have that success, but it doesn’t mean sh*t,” said Irving in a statement. “Right now, it’s just about incremental progression and taking it game by game”.
Kyrie Irving says the Dallas Mavericks' focus needs to be on "incremental progression" and a win-streak in the regular season "doesn't mean shit."
Irving focused on the Indiana Pacers creating separation in the fourth quarter.
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Irving also stated that the Mavericks should not pay attention to any of the outside noise. “A lot of teams are coming after us. You kind of see the media calling us legitimate contenders. I don’t think it’s our time right now to be listening to all that noise. We just have to focus on one game at a time and get ready for what’s ahead of us.”
How have the Mavericks fared during the ongoing season?
Before their recent loss to the Pacers, the Dallas Mavericks were cruising quite smoothly and were reportedly being talked about on the national stage as being the “NBA’s hottest team”. Even Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle couldn’t help but marvel at the efforts being put forward by the team.
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“What Luka is doing this year… I don’t even know how you describe it,” said Rick Carlisle. “He’s rewriting history. (Kyrie) Irving is playing great. These guys are in a very small group of teams that are really legitimate contenders.”
Along with Doncic and Irving, much of the credit for the Mavericks’ 7-game streak could be awarded to 23-year-old Josh Green and 25-year-old PJ Washington. While the former has been maintaining his ground on the defensive front, the latter is helping the experienced players on his team through the offensive front.
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There are still quite a few games left, and a slow progression may help the team to get back on the horse and make an everlasting mark on the regular season.