PHILADELPHIA – In the hours leading up to his first game in two weeks after missing six games because of a sprained right
thumb, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving just wanted to get the moment over with.
Irving also wanted to get the memories of having to sit and watch his teammates struggle to a 2-4 record with him on the sidelines in street clothes behind him. He talked of the frustrations that comes with being a spectator as opposed to being in uniform and going to battle with his teammates.
“It’s just the hardest thing is being injured in this league,” Irving said. “Games come by every single day, and it doesn’t get easier as you get older.”
Before returning Monday to play against the Philadelphia 76ers, Irving missed the previous six games after he sprained his right thumb on Jan. 22 when Boston forward Jayson Tatum swiped down and tagged the Mavs’ guard in a move that caused the unfortunate injury. But in the game against the Sixers, Irving was back in rare form as he scored a game-high 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, distributed eight assists and picked up a pair of steals in helping the Mavs to a 118-102 victory at Wells Fargo Center.
Mavs forward Josh Green didn’t mince words when stating that there’s less pressure for him and his other teammates when Irving is on the floor alongside superstar point guard Luka Doncic.
“He’s one of the greatest point guards of all-time for a reason,” Green said of Irving. “So, I think anytime that we’re able to have him back it’s great for our team, and I just think overall positivity.”
During the rehabbing of his thumb, Irving said he felt the positive vibes coming from everyone associated with the Mavs.
“I’ve had a lot of support from my teammates and the staff,” he said. “To be honest with you it’s one of the hardest things to do is sit on the sidelines.
“As a person that loves the game as much as I do, it gets harder and it gets tougher to sit more games. I want to be out there. That’s just where I stand with all this.”
Irving, who averages 25.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists, admitted it’s been difficult watching the Mavs slide down the Western Conference standings during his absence.
The Mavs were 23-16 on Jan. 11 following a 128-124 triumph over the highly regarded New York Knicks. Now they own a 27-23 record and are in eighth place in the West standings.
Irving noted that the pressure to win and have an advantageous ranking is part of the pressure that goes with his job.
“You see the rankings, you see the standings, you see where teams are positioning themselves before (Thursday’s) trade deadline, and we’ll get a
better look on how teams positioned themselves after the trade deadline,” he said. “We’re pretty much done with the first half of the season – we’re in our second half — so we pretty much know who we are as a team, identity-wise.
“But we’re still developing into a team that trust each other throughout situations where some guys are down or banged up. A lot of this has just been a test for how we handle things when guys are in and out of the lineup. But we don’t want it to be like this in the second half of the season or towards the playoffs. So, God willing, prayers up, that we stay healthy.”
One of Irving’s concerns moving forward is that defenders may take the liberty to bang on his shooting hand since they know that the injury to the thumb on that hand is why he recently missed those six games.
“It’s one of the concerns, but I had to mentally prepare for that, and that’s what these past few days have been like,” Irving said. “It’s just mentally preparing for when it’s going to get hit, how it’s going to get hit, how I’m going to catch passes. I didn’t imagine that the swipe down on that first possession against (Jayson Tatum) would linger on to a sprained thumb, and then I wouldn’t be able to catch with my right hand in the first three-four days. So (I’m) just working through the pain and working on my tolerance. That’s really what it takes as an athlete in this stance.
“When you’re injured and you have a knick-knack injury and it’s on your shooting hand or it’s in a type of place on your body where you don’t really have control on how people are going to pass you the ball or when the defender is going to swipe down (it’s tough). So, you just got to make 
adjustments and be a warrior out there. That’s what it’s going to take. Just mentally preparing for what’s going to come.”
Irving has played in just 28 of the Mavs’ 50 games this season. In addition to missing the six games right after the game against Boston, he missed three games from Oct. 30-Nov. 1 – and again on Nov. 15 — with a sprained left foot, and he also missed another game on Dec. 2 with right foot soreness.
In addition, from Dec. 11-30, Irving sat out 12 games with a right heel contusion.
“It’s professional sports,” Irving said. “Basketball is an art form, but it’s also physical combat. A lot of grabbing, a lot of holding, a lot of high intensity games and possessions, so you want to be as healthy as you can be. It’s the regular season, so you want to be smart and think about the big picture.
“I try not to get too ahead of myself and just wait until my body is in a good place. I try to put myself in a greater position than I was before I got injured and just work my way back. Getting injured is just like taking three steps back and you’ve got to work five steps to get forward or work to get five steps.”
Although he said he’s always in pain, Irving believes a fully healthy Mavs roster could do some damage in the big NBA picture.
“We’ve had some unfortunate accidents happen, but no one feels bad for us,” he said. “The fans are always going to be talking, the media is always going to be talking, because we are one of those teams to be reckoned with when we’re fully healthy.
“We’ve shown what the capability, we’ve shown that we have the ability to play with the best and beat the best. Now we just got to get healthy and find that consistency throughout this process.”
Irving noted that the pressure to win and have an advantageous ranking is part of the pressure that goes with his job.
“You see the rankings, you see the standings, you see where teams are positioning themselves before (Thursday’s) trade deadline, and we’ll get a better look on how teams positioned themselves after the trade deadline,” Irving said. “We’re pretty much done with the first half of the season – we’re in our second half — so we pretty much know who we are as a team, identity-wise.
“But we’re still developing into a team that trust each other throughout situations where some guys are down or banged up. A lot of this has just been a test for how we handle things when guys are in and out of the lineup. But we don’t want it to be like this in the second half of the season or towards the playoffs. So, God willing, prayers up, that we stay healthy.”
KIDD HAS HIGH PRAISE FOR MAXEY: Mavs coach Jason Kidd has very high praise for Sixers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey, adding that the speed which he plays with constantly puts defenses in an uncompromised position.
“Maxey’s playing at a high level,” Kidd said. “He’s one of the fastest players with the ball, and I think that he’s underrated when you look at the way that he can finish at the rim and now he’s added the three-point shot. He should be an All-Star. He’s one of the best guards in the league.”
A product of South Garland High School, Maxey averages 26.2 points and 6.4 assists and is one the players the Sixers will look to for more production since center Joel Embiid will be sidelined for an extended period once he has a procedure this week to repair the torn meniscus in his left knee.
“When you look at these younger players, they’re very gifted and very talented,” Kidd said. “When you look at what Maxey’s doing you can only think about (guard) Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) at Oklahoma City and just the improvement in each year adding something and getting better, and Shai is now talked about as being the MVP.
“When you look at those two, I think they’re very similar. They’re comfortable being in the spotlight is also a big thing. It’s exciting to see. As an opponent, it causes you headaches because they’re so talented.”
TRADE DEADLINE IS THURSDAY: The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 2 p.m. CT, so there’s probably a lot of players around the league feeling a bit antsy these days.
“Everyone’s thinking about it,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “It’s just part of this business, but you have a job to do and that’s to go out and put your best effort out to try to help the team win, so that’s all we talked about.
“Everybody has trade scenarios, but you have to be a pro, you have to go out there and do your job. Right now it’s an interesting time for everyone. Everyone’s on their phone, but the big thing you have to concentrate on is what’s at hand.”
BRIEFLY: Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II underwent a procedure on Monday to repair his broken nose. “Lively’s procedure went well,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He will not be with us (for Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn).” . .Kidd said it’s difficult for his team to establish a consistent rhythm with so many players in and out of the lineup due to injuries. “A lot of times when you get one body back and we lose a body, just understanding hopefully at some point after the break we are healthy and we can get that rhythm and (be) on a sprint and be able to play at a high level,” Kidd said. “But I think the guys have done a really good job. Guys who are maybe looked upon as being the third-string, or guys who weren’t going to be in the rotation, have played. Our health is something that we have to get better at, and it’s just going to take some time. Being consistent is the one thing that I think every team is fighting for right now.”. . .When the NBA stats are released on Tuesday, Mavs point guard Luka Doncic will be listed as the top scorer in the league. On Monday, that spot was held by Sixers center Joel Embiid. However, Embiid has played in just 34 of the Sixers’ 49 games, which means he’s played in only 69.4 percent of their games. By NBA rules, a player must participate in at least 70 percent of his team’s games in order to be eligible to be listed among the statistical leaders. Embiid is averaging 35.3 points and Doncic is averaging 34.8 points. The Mavs have never had a player lead the league in scoring at the end of a season.
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