NBA
Doncic and Irving make strong claims after Mavs destroyed in 2024 NBA Finals
It was a tough series for the Dallas Mavericks but their two star performers insist that they’re only just getting started.
The Dallas Mavericks fell short in the 2024 NBA Finals but there was a real sense of optimism among their star players after defeat to the Boston Celtics.
Luka Doncic has starred throughout the 2023/24 season, staking a very convincing claim to be the league’s most dangerous offensive talent. Combined with the veteran superstar Kyrie Irving the Mavs’ have a creative duo to rival any in the league and both players insisted that there’s more to come from the team.
“I feel great,” Doncic said after the Game 5 loss, responding to a question about the team’s future. “We did some great [roster] moves. I would say we’ve been together for five months. I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind [the scenes].”
Teammate Kyrie Irving was particularly effusive in his praise for rookie starlet Dereck Lively II, an all-action 7ft 1in center who could be the big benefactor of Irving and Doncic’s ingenuity. The 20-year-old was a key part of the Mavs’ run to the playoffs and Irving insisted that he’s excited for their future together.
“I always told him this mission is bigger than us,” Irving said of Lively. “It’s just not solely focused on this year. We have a future together where we’re going to continue to grow as teammates.”
How long will Kyrie Irving stay with the Mavs?
For all the talk of future-proofing around this team in the ascendency, there is one glaring outlier. Irving, now 32, has just completed his 14th season in NBA and has become increasingly susceptible to injury in recent years.
In early 2020 he underwent season-ending surgery on an injured shoulder but his 2023/24 performances have sparked talk of a “renaissance” for Kyrie, something that he’s only too happy to talk up.
“I just feel like the sky’s the limit,” Irving said earlier this month. “I have an opportunity to be on a special team that can be one of the teams that dominates in this era.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out the past few years, of how to be on a great team, be in an organization where I’m trusted, and also we’re able to succeed and fail together, and doing it in a way where we still have each other’s backs, and no one is giving up on the dream or the goal.”