CLEVELAND – The reason Kyrie Irving has fit in so seamlessly with the Dallas Mavericks is nothing magical to coach Jason
Kidd.
“It probably would have to start with (Mavs general manager ) Nico (Harrison) and myself,” Kidd said. “(Irving is) comfortable. The relationship has gone well, not just on the court, but off the court.
“Nico’s known Kai from the Nike days. I’ve known Kai for a long time being in (New) Jersey. Sometimes when you’re comfortable with people you tend to have your best results, and you can see that. I’m not saying we are the only reason. He has a big part to do with this.”
The Mavs acquired Irving in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 6, 2023. Since then, Kidd always talks about Irving’s maturity level being at a premium.
“He’s enjoying Dallas the city, he’s enjoying his teammates and he’s playing at a high level,” Kidd said. “I would say that he’s at peace with his career, he wants to win and he’s doing everything to help us on a nightly basis, and he wants to win a championship.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers made Irving the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, and he played here until 2017. He also drilled the series-clinching three-pointer against Golden State in Game 7 to help the Cavs capture the 2016 NBA title.
For that gigantic reason, the Cavs’ fans gave Irving a warm ovation when he was introduced in the starting lineup before Tuesday’s game. Then, after the game’s first timeout, a video of Irving’s series-clinching triple against the Warriors was shown on the scoreboard, and Irving was given even a much louder ovation and thanks of appreciation from the fans.
“Shoutout to all those Cavs’ fans,” Irving said. “And I don’t want to just say Cavs’ fans, but all of Ohio. (The year) 2016 is forever. I don’t think anyone is touching that historic moment, but if someone does, God bless them.
“But I have incredible memories here. I don’t just want to focus on me being a 19-year old kid and being drafted. I think everyone knows that history. I just genuinely cherish all the relationships that I’ve had in my career, and it started in Cleveland.
Kidd, meanwhile, said as Irving’s tenure with the Mavs has increased, the guard has become more vocal on and off the court.
“Any time there’s a trade it’s a process of getting settled,” Kidd said. “A lot of times it is on the court, but sometimes it’s off the court that you have to find a home. You don’t want to live in a hotel for the remainder of the season.
“Sometimes it takes time. As much as we want it to be like Google or Siri, it just doesn’t come that fast. We just have to be patient, because these are humans. They’re athletes that have feelings and emotions and are trying to put their best foot forward and they’re being judged every second. It’s tough.”
Still, Kidd said Irving fought through it all, even silencing the critics who thought there would be numerous hiccups as Irving tried to co-exist on the court with teammate Luka Doncic.
“Kai is one of the best players that ever played the game and I think we’re very lucky to have him on our side,” Kidd 
said. “I know there was a lot of speculation that it wasn’t going to work, but you can see Luka and Kai are playing at a very high level right now.
“Peace is a big word. Also understanding that this is Luka’s team and (Irving has) been a part of teams where it was someone else’s team when you talk about LeBron (James). But, it never affected Kai. Kai goes out there and does his job with what the team needs.”
That’s been Irving’s modus operandi since he joined the Mavs. He does whatever it takes to help the Mavs get a win.
Kidd said: “If it’s making the last shot to win the championship, if it’s making the assist, if it’s making a defensive stand — make sure you get that I said that he plays defense, because he’ll be mad if I didn’t say he didn’t play defense. I just think that he’s one for our young players to watch.
“He came in this league young, he’s still young. But he’s one of the best and he’s not afraid of the moment and he’s not afraid to play with other stars, which I think when you see in this league you’ll find some guys who don’t want to play with other stars because they feel threatened.”
In the meantime, Irving scored 30 points and was 12-of-24 from the field – and 5-of-8 from three-point range – as the Cavs stunned the Mavs, 121-119, on Tuesday. All in all, except for the Mavs not winning the game, Irving thoroughly enjoyed his time in Cleveland on Tuesday.
“This was a franchise that was yearning for an NBA championship,” he said. “I had a lot of emotions all throughout that time (playing for Cleveland) and we accomplished it. We’re one of 76 championship winners. We’re one of those teams that I think we’re going to look back on it 10 years from now and we’ll all be getting back together and having some wine together and having some beers and really celebrating our banner.
“Every time I come in this building I look up at that banner and it just brings me back to all those emotions. I’m just grateful to my time here and I really want to get that across to the Cavs’ fans, the Cavs’ organization. I’m truly grateful that I had the opportunity to grow up here, and be really happy and be really proud.”
BRIEFLY: Entering Tuesday, there was only a half game separating seeds five-through-eight in the Western Conference standings. Mavs coach Jason Kidd said he’s not focused on watching the standings on a daily basis. “I’m just focused on us,” Kidd said. “That’s the biggest thing. I can’t worry about anybody else – Sacramento, Oklahoma, New Orleans. I can’t worry about who they’re playing and what they’re doing. I have to worry about those guys in the locker room and put those guys in position to be successful. Also, with new pieces (in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington), I don’t have time to watch the scoreboard right now.” . . . Kidd said Mavs guard Dante Exum (right knee bursitis) “was good” when the team practiced on Saturday and Monday. “So hopefully somewhere on this road trip we’ll see him play.” The Mavs play in Toronto on Wednesday and in Boston on Friday.
X: @DwainPrice
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