“Can Psych Yourself Out”: Kyrie Irving Addresses Mental Approach of Playing Second Fiddle To Luka Doncic

Apart from his wizardry on the court, Kyrie Irving relied on his mental game as well. The Dallas Mavericks star guard put up a 21-point show to help the team take a 101-90 win over the LA Clippers. Ever since he moved to the Mavs, Uncle Drew’s role in the side had always been a question mark. With Luka Doncic by his side, it was hard to determine the leader of the side. However, tonight, Irving revealed that he plays the second fiddle while speaking about his mental approach to the game.

During the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Irving about his ability to come back stronger in the second half, despite a slump in the first. Impressed by the question, the 32-year-old promised to speak about it in detail for the future generation. He stressed how the pressure of a big game can get to a player’s head. Irving added, “You’re kind of used to having a ball in your hands… If you don’t see your points total looking like normal, you can psych yourself out of the game.” 

After addressing the issue, he also revealed his mental approach to defeating the mindset. But, before that, he confirmed that he plays the second fiddle for Doncic when he said, “You’re kind of used to having a ball in your hands.” Now, getting back to his approach, Kyrie Irving relied on the basketball greats.

He said, “There’s not a fancy formula… Continue to do the little things on the defensive end first… Some of the greatest players in history… they didn’t score much but they had a huge impact on the game so I try to have that same approach mentally emotionally spiritually.” 

Tonight, he scored only 2 points in the first half and backed it up with a brilliant 19 points in the second half. The 32-year-old attempted only five shots in the first half and made only one out of them. Whereas, in the second half, he took 12 shots and made 6 of them, leaving the Clippers completely rattled by his outburst.

Will the Mavs drill down the final nail on the Clippers?

While the Mavs look thriving, the LA Clippers seem all over the place. Despite having a star-studded line-up, none of them seem to turn up for the team. Meanwhile, the Mavs, who were criticized for not having depth in their lineup, put up complete team efforts in this series.

Luka and Kyrie spearheaded the offense, and the rest of the roster played the supporting cast. PJ Washington, Danieal Gafford, Derreck Lively II, and Derrick Jones Jr. have consistently contributed to the team on both ends of the court.

On the other hand, former NBA champion Kawhi Leonard, who has partially recovered from knee inflammation, has struggled to contribute offensively to the side. Except for James Harden‘s 23-point average in the series, none of the stars have stepped up. The Clippers badly need a win to level the series, or else they will go 3-1 down and eventually end their championship dream.

Will the Clippers stop the Mavs on their home turf? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.