Highlights
- Kyrie Irving’s struggles hinder the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, shooting poorly & lacking secondary scoring.
- Dončić remains consistent, excelling despite the Celtics’ defense targeting him.
- The Mavericks need Irving to step up to have a chance at overcoming a 0-2 deficit in the series.
The Dallas Mavericks have dug themselves into a hole. After Game 2 of the NBA Finals, they now trail the Boston Celtics 0-2, making their chances of winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy that much more difficult.
The Mavericks have had to deal with a well-oiled Celtics machine in both games of the series. Boston has proven that their five-out attack will lead to the kind of offensive firepower they need to win games in this series. It does not matter who steps up in the scoring department, someone will get going.
In Game 1, Kristaps Porziņģis came off the Celtics’ bench and dropped 20 points in 21 minutes of action. In Game 2, it was Jrue Holidayexploding for 26 points to lead the team in scoring. All this while Jaylen Brown scores over 20 points efficiently in each game.
The Celtics have had at least five players score double-digit points in both games of the series. For the Mavericks, it’s been hard to defend the Celtics when their offense can feasibly come from anywhere.
Meanwhile, Dallas hasn’t had that same luxury. Luka Dončić has been as reliable as ever in this series. Despite some nagging injuries resurfacing, he has scored 30 points or more in each game. The supporting cast has not been as reliable as the Mavericks superstar.
The struggles of Dončić’s co-star, Kyrie Irving, have been particularly notable. After the two dominated on their way to the NBA Finals, upon arrival, Dončić has turned into a one-man show. If the Mavericks want any hope of winning this series, that needs to change.
Irving’s Struggles in the NBA Finals
The Celtics have locked down Irving to this point
For such an integral piece of the Mavericks’ success throughout these playoffs, Irving has been woeful to start the series against the Celtics. It’s no wonder the Mavericks are down 0-2 when the second-best player on the team is falling short of expectations.
|
Irving’s Stats in the NBA Finals |
|
|---|---|
|
PPG |
14.0 |
|
APG |
4.0 |
|
FG |
6.5 |
|
FGA |
18.5 |
|
FG% |
35.1 |
|
3P% |
0 |
The secondary scoring that has been needed in Irving’s game has not been there. Game 1 was particularly brutal for Irving. He had the worst +/- of anyone on the team at -19 during the Celtics’ 107-89 blowout of the Mavericks. 89 was the lowest number of points scored for the Mavericks during the NBA Playoffs.
Irving is certainly getting the volume of shots up that he needs to, but they are either being swarmed by the Celtics defenders or they just aren’t dropping with enough regularity. Of all his struggles from the field, being 0 for 8 from beyond the arc through two games feels particularly troublesome.
The Mavericks’ Winning Formula
Dončić and Irving dominating as a duo is what’s got them this far
The dynamic duo of Dončić and Irving had been so good throughout these playoffs that they were receiving compliments as high as being called the best backcourt ever. That talk has gone away quickly and quietly through two games of this series.
While Dončić is the first player to always shoulder the blame and put emphasis on himself playing better, he hasn’t been the issue.
|
Dončić’s Stats in the NBA Finals |
|
|---|---|
|
PPG |
31.0 |
|
RPG |
10.5 |
|
APG |
6.0 |
|
SPG |
3.0 |
|
FG% |
51.1 |
|
3P% |
38.1 |
Luka’s numbers look spectacular through two losses so far. The Celtics haven’t had any defensive coverage to slow down his production. Despite the talented personnel at the Celtics’ disposal, Dončić has continued to find a way.
Against a team as loaded as the Celtics are, a Dončić solo act will never be enough to win the series. Irving needs to recapture the magic he has had in these playoffs leading up to the NBA Finals.
|
Irving’s 2024 Playoff Stats: Series By Series |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Category |
Clippers |
Thunder |
Timberwolves |
|
PPG |
26.5 |
15.7 |
27.0 |
|
APG |
4.7 |
6.2 |
4.6 |
|
SPG |
1.8 |
1.0 |
0.6 |
|
FG% |
51.4 |
44.0 |
49.0 |
|
3P% |
44.9 |
42.3 |
37.5 |
The Mavericks have had to go through some tough defensive teams. The only series in which Irving has struggled a touch with his scoring was against the Oklahoma City Thunder. When he did, Irving managed to elevate his playmaking to make up for it.
The Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves should have given the Mavericks as good of a test as any for overcoming tough defensive personnel. Minnesota had the best defensive rating of any team in the regular season and had managed to, mostly, carry that success over to the playoffs. Irving shined in that series through the adversity.
If the Mavericks want to become only the sixth team to ever erase a 0-2 deficit in finals history, they need that version of Irving to show up.
Stats are courtesy of Basketball Reference.
Jason Kidd Bluntly Addresses Costly No-Call on PJ Washington in Game 2 Loss
With 50 seconds remaining in Game 2, Jaylen Brown made contact with P.J. Washington, but the foul was not called.