"Have to give him a little tough love"- Kyrie Irving demands consistency from Luka Doncic on 'staying off' refs
Kyrie Irving has demanded consistency from his backcourt partner Luka Doncic after the Mavericks stayed alive in the NBA Finals series against the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks put forward a spectacular defensive performance rendering the Celtics' offense at a standstill. They won the game with a final score of 122-8, the third-highest win margin in an NBA final.
After the game, Kyrie Irving attended a post-game conference and shared his thoughts on Luka Doncic, demanding consistency from him in staying away from the referees.
"We have to give him a little tough love where we let him know and reiterate that you got to stay off those guys a little bit," Irving said.
He remarked that basketball is a very physical game and that sometimes the beating players take on the court provokes them to talk to the referees. He highlighted that Doncic's relationship with the referees is not always healthy during games.
However, Irving also stated that referees are also humans and should be respected like everyone else. He said that Doncic is still young and is taking accountability for his actions in the best way he can.
"It's just lessons being learned and when he is locked in like that and not paying attention to the refs. He is a huge impactful player for us and great leader for us, so we just want him to stay consistent on that."
Kyrie Irving also advised Doncic to not be hard on himself, he said that it doesn't bother him and the team if he gets a technical foul but if they are trying to get back into the game and need the refs, they should take a different perspective and approach.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic's fathers share a wholesome moment
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are arguably the best backcourt duo in all of the NBA right now. The Mavericks stars have proved themselves again after forcing a Game 5 on the Celtics.
During the game, Irving and Doncic's fathers were seen having a wholesome moment. Dredrick Irving and Sasa Doncic were seen hugging each other displaying great camaraderie as their sons clinched their first victory in the final series.
Just like their sons, Sasa and Dredrick formed a brotherly duo full of happiness to see their sons succeed. Dredrick and Sasa both were professional basketball players themselves. Irving's father played ball in Australia while Doncic's father was a European basketball star.