In wrapping a nice little bow around the 2023-24 season, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving is convinced that what transpired over the past year is only the beginning of something
beautiful for a team that defied the odds and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years.
The Mavs lost to the Boston Celtics in five games. But Irving said what they didn’t lose is their commitment to excellence and the will to get back to the Finals and complete the mission.
“That’s a positive note that we can take from this series, just how far we made it and how proud I am of the guys,” Irving said. “We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing, and now it’s just about being consistent. I think probably in the last week, I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era and our last (six NBA) champions have been a new one each and every year.
“So, I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we’re competing for championships. I think from a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself and my teammates and the organization. It’s a lot of good people here, so it makes coming to work a lot of fun.”
While having some fun at work this season, the Mavs started out with a pair of preseason games in Abu Dhabi against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They then went on to post a 50-32 record in the regular season and claim the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.
Then, the doubters came out of the woodwork in full force.
*In the first round of the playoffs, the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Clippers were favored to beat the Mavs. But the Mavs won that series in six games.
*In the Western Conference semifinals, the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were favored. But the Mavs won that series in six games.
*The disrespect continued in the Western Conference Finals as the No. 3-seeded Timberwolves were favored. But the Mavs won that series in five games.
This went on until the Mavs advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since they won the whole thing in 2011. And this all came soon after the Mavs – in coach Jason Kidd’s first season – advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2022.
“First year we lose to Golden State, who becomes the world champs,” Kidd said. “Then we lose this year to the world champs in the Boston Celtics. So, not a bad run in two out of three years.
“We’re a young team, and so this isn’t a team when you look at, you know, do we have to replace some of the older players. We have a core, a young core at that, and so this is an exciting time to be a Mavs fan and to also be a coach for the Mavs.”
The Mavs are excited because they can build around their superstar point guard, 25-year old Luka Dončić. And Dončić has a co-star in the 32-year old Irving, and another budding young superstar in the making in 20-year rookie center Dereck Lively II, who was named to the All-Rookie second team this season.
Lively noted that his fut
ure consists of: “Just being more of a force on the offensive end and taking some relief off my guys. It doesn’t matter if it’s shooting, it doesn’t matter if it’s playmaking, it doesn’t matter if it’s me bringing the ball up the court.
“Just working on the little intangibles that people are going to call weaknesses this year and try to make them a strength by next year.”
At the trade deadline this past February, the Mavs got exponentially stronger when they acquired a pair of 25-year olds in Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, who eventually became starters on the front line. Plus, 27-year old Derrick Jones Jr. started at small forward, and 28-year Dante Exum was a key player off the bench, as was 23-year old Josh Green, 21-year old Jaden Hardy, and a couple of 32-year olds in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber.
Thus, the future should be extremely bright.
“I would say we’ve been together for five months,” Dončić said. “I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor — all the coaches, all the people behind.
“Obviously, we didn’t win the Finals, but we did have a hell of a season and I’m proud of every one of them.”
It was a Most Valuable Player-type of season for Dončić. The six-year veteran led the NBA in scoring (33.9), was second in assists (9.8), second in three-pointers converted per game (4.1), tied for seventh in steals (1.4), and averaged more rebounds (9.2) than any guard in the league, which was good for 15th overall in that category.
Dončić also played in his fifth straight All-Star Game and was named first-team All-NBA for a fifth consecutive season. In short, there’s not enough words to tell how Dončić tore through opponents game after game, including piling up an NBA-record six consecutive 30-point triple-doubles from Feb. 28-March 9.
“For him at the
age of 25 to get to the Finals, to be playing his basketball at the level that he’s playing, now it’s just being consistent,” Kidd said. “He also has won, so now it’s just a matter of being consistent and, again, always being in the talk for MVP because when you have one of the best players in the world, you should be always fighting for a championship.”
Gafford, meanwhile, caught the eye of the national media when he successfully made 33 straight field goals this season. That was two shy of the NBA record of 35 in a row made by Wilt Chamberlain.
“It’s been a hell of a year,” Green said. “I love these guys, man. There’s a lot of international guys and we don’t always have family around, and to be able to build a bond like this and to call the team family, it’s awesome.
“To be able to do that in such a short amount of time, it’s amazing. So obviously, we didn’t get what we wanted, but I’m proud and everyone else is very proud of the team. We got here and I think everyone’s hungry now. Obviously, we didn’t get where we wanted to, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Indeed, as the Mavs look to the future, they know the world is their oyster. They proved all the doubters wrong this season, they developed a close-knit bond, they cheered for one another, and they’re excited about what this year’s playoff experience taught them.
“Obviously, being able to play on the biggest stages in the playoffs has been nothing but amazing,” Washington said. “I’m so grateful for the opportunity and obviously can’t wait to get better and do it again next year.
“Obviously, we have a lot of growing to do (and) a lot of maturing. I think everybody’s hungry, obviously. So, I’m excited to see where we go.”
X: @DwainPrice
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