"It’s been eating me alive" - Kyrie Irving shoulders blame for Mavericks losing 2024 NBA Finals
Kyrie Irving has held himself accountable for the Dallas Mavericks' disappointing 4-1 loss to his former team, the Boston Celtics, in the 2024 NBA Finals. Irving averaged 19.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, shooting on a 41/28/100 clip. His struggles made it difficult for Dallas to get past the versatile Celtics.
As the only experienced championship winner in the Mavericks rotation, more was expected from the dynamic guard. Irving realizes that and regrets not helping his team get over the line. He reflected on it during a live Twitch streaming session on Thursday.
“Last year was definitely a disappointing year from the standpoint of not winning the Finals," Kyrie Irving said (via Mavericks reporter Noah Weber).
"We got there for a reason. Blood is definitely in the water. I’m always going to take my accountability …
"Definitely got to set that straight. Did not play my best at all down the stretch in the season and it’s been eating me alive in a healthy way … We’re gonna be back … Losing f***ing sucks though."
Barring the NBA Finals, Kyrie Irving had a phenomenal playoff run as the Mavericks ran through the Western Conference. He covered up well for Luka Doncic's shooting struggles before the conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and used his experience to navigate the team through adversity.
Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks could be right back into it with fine roster tweaks this summer
All hope's not lost for Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks, who are pursuing their respective second championships. The Mavericks have actively looked to add better talent around Irving and Luka Doncic. They signed four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson and one of the top role players in the free agent market, Naji Marshall, this offseason, adding more firepower to their offense.
They lacked the versatility outside of Irving and Doncic to overcome the Celtics. Thompson gives the Mavericks more experience and is a reliable third-scoring option. Meanwhile, Marshall is a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing who can be an excellent two-way threat, keeping Dallas' defensive efficiency close to where it was last year.
Doncic returns with one more year under his belt and a crucial one after making the finals for the first time. Doncic, entering his prime, directly helps the Mavericks hit their peak with this group. They remain a matchup problem in the stacked Western Conference against majority contenders, which allowed them to make a deep playoff run last year.