Kyrie Irving: “I think what gets overshadowed for me and Luka specifically is how good of teammates we are, you know on and off the floor. We are very selfless. Obviously, I have a ton of respect for him. He has a ton respect for me.”
Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving reveals the secret of his success with Luka Doncic
NBAFriday, 01 March 2024 at 09:00
The Dallas Mavericks have looked a whole lot better this season and the partnership of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic has been a huge part of their success. While they may not be the best team in the Western Conference, the Mavericks have scored some impressive wins, have a deeper roster, and look much more cohesive.
On Tuesday night, Irving scored 29 points and 3 assists while Doncic put up 30 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds on his birthday. After the game, Irving talked about what makes the relationship between him and Doncic work.
“I think what gets overshadowed for me and Luka specifically is just how good of teammates we are on and off the floor,” Irving told ClutchPoints.
“We are very selfless. Obviously, I have a ton of respect for him, he has a ton of respect for me. But we know we're not going anywhere without galvanizing this group together and holding each other to that high standard. I think the true testament of greatness is being next to other great players and being able to be yourself and not allow that ego to get the best of you," Irving said.
When Irving first joined the Mavericks last year, there was some concern that he wouldn't fit in the already-promising roster and possibly wouldn't work well with Doncic, who is a dominant ball-handler who runs the team.
And for the first few months, those concerns seemed accurate because Dallas collapsed in the last few weeks of 2022-23 season and wasn't even able to reach the playoffs.
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But they are doing much better this year and are the seventh seed in the West with a 34-25 record. They still have room for improvement in such a competitive conference but it's clear that the team is performing much better, although a place in the playoffs isn't promised.
There are still many questions about the Mavericks but one has been answered. It is obvious that the duo of Irving and Doncic works, mostly because both players respect each other and give one another exactly what they need on the court.
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