"I got his back, we all have his back" - Kyrie Irving defends Luka Doncic fouling out in Game 3 loss
Kyrie Irving defended teammate Luka Doncic after the Slovenian superstar fouled out in the Dallas Mavericks' Game 3 loss in the 2024 NBA Finals. Doncic committed his sixth personal foul with around four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics capitalized on their advantage to get the 106-99 win.
In his postgame press conference, Irving was asked about Doncic's crucial error when he fouled Jaylen Brown during a play. The Mavericks even challenged the call but were unable to win it. The one-time NBA champ is not blaming his teammate for what happened and will continue to support him.
"We just let it breathe a little bit. Let the human emotions come out and just give him a hug. That's it, man. It's easy to point the finger at just him and say, 'You could be better.' That's easy to say, I think he knows that. It's just reiterating that I got his back, we all have his back. It's a tough game, a tough call," Irving said.
Kyrie Irving added that the Dallas Mavericks could have done better after Luka Doncic committed his fifth foul. Irving explained that they were caught off guard and were not given the time to adjust when Doncic fouled out of the game.
However, "hindsight was 20/20," says Irving, who is not fazed after being down 3-0 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. He will be ready for Game 4 in what could be the championship-clinching game for the Celtics.
There has never been a team in NBA history that successfully came back from a 3-0 deficit. The Celtics came close last year against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but they fell short. Irving has some experience coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals.
Kyrie Irving had his best game of the NBA Finals in Game 3
Kyrie Irving was terrible for the Dallas Mavericks in their first two games of the NBA Finals at the TD Garden. Irving bounced back in a big way in Game 3, finishing with 35 points, three rebounds and two assists on 13-for-28 shooting from the field. He also went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, but it wasn't enough to lift the Mavs to victory.
Luka Doncic also had a fantastic game with 27 points, six rebounds and six assists, but foul trouble did him in the end. P.J. Washington added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Dereck Lively II put up 11 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.
The Boston Celtics had too many weapons on both sides of the ball. Jrue Holiday did a fantastic job on Kyrie Irving down the stretch while also scoring nine points and dishing out five assists. Jaylen Brown had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 31 points.