Why Luka Doncic Believes Kyrie Irving is the X-Factor in Mavericks’ Battle Against Clippers

At the press conference, Luka Doncic, who is not a native English speaker, usually does not speak much, especially when asked “What is the difference between the current Mavericks and 2020 and 2021 (the against the Clippers)?” He also saidhe gave a concise and confident answer.

“This time, we have Kyrie.”

Kyrie Irving has been the most popular player in the league for many years, and his brilliant creative play has also won him the admiration of many of his peers. If you want to pick the X factor that will affect the outcome of this battle, who will Luka give his vote of confidence to? The answer must be very obvious, and the trusting relationship between the two is obvious.

The old enemies of the Lone Ranger and the Clippers are about to start their third conflict. It took a lot of effort to find a solution. Now, he wasn’t the only one they were worried about.

Irving just turned 32 last month. In the end, he played a total of 58 games in the regular season, the second highest number since the 2018–19 season; after returning in early February, he played 31 consecutive games, setting a personal best since 2016.

Since February 5th, Irving has averaged 26.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals, and his three field goal percentages have reached the all-time high of “50/40/90” . There are various signs that Irving’s condition is returning to a high level as long as he and Doncic stay healthy, chasing the victory and “conquering the top” is not a silly dream. .

Looking back at the first fight between Luka Doncic and the Clippers, the NBA was still under the shadow of the epidemic at that time, and the game was moved to the Disney Bubble. The combination of Kristaps Porzingis and Doncic was on the way Unfortunately, Porzingis unfortunately missed the game due to injury Doncic never got enough support and had no choice but to lose first his to suffer.

The following year, the Mavericks faced the Clippers again. Doncic got stronger and stronger, even if he could single-handedly keep the game in a tug-of-war; however, as the game entered the second half, Doncic’s physical fitness declined significantly in the final quarter of the seven-. game series, his shooting percentage dropped to 35% and his outside shooting percentage was below 30%.

The Mavericks now have Irving, but the Clippers also added James Harden. As a top star, the burden on Luka Doncic’s shoulders will not be easier than before. He must be ready to face the challenges of Harden, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard, just like all the superstars got. The good news is that Derrick Jones Jr. and PJ Washington can definitely provide some help, and the situation won’t be as remote as it has been in previous years.

Regardless of who Luka Doncic is guarding, the Clippers are expected to focus primarily on him and create pick and roll decisions. As long as Luka can move his body, even if he consumes only a small amount of energy each time, he has achieved strategic success. Maybe the Mavericks can cancel the ball in advance, just like they did in the 2022 playoffs, to reduce Luka’s burden from the store and avoid unknown risks afterwards.

Over the past few weeks, Luka has been very active in defense and will not be a concern for the team. Even if he’s not perfect, he’s still an important factor in the Mavericks being able to jump to the defensive front line and finish with “16 wins and 2 losses.”

Since Leonard’s injury is unclear, both Doncic and Irving will have more room to play, and will need to seize those impact situations. This is of course Luka Doncic’s team.

Yes, the Mavericks have Irving. This is the biggest difference between them and 2020 and 2021. It is the key to making opponents fear them more. Adding Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively inside can effectively improve the ability to protect the frame and reduce the points lost, but if the offensive end is still only up to Doncic to shoot consistently , he will only fall into the same position as before.

The previous pair weren’t bad, but they couldn’t provide the same level of help as Irving. Irving has stated many times that he has found his home in Dallas, and Doncic has made no secret of his admiration for him – after all, he knows better than anyone else how Irving changed everything personally.

From loss to greatness, from underdog to playoff dark horse, now they are finally back.