Dallas Mavericks on life support following a night of drama spearheaded by Mark Cuban
The Dallas Mavericks get a needed win against the Sacramento Kings, putting their season on life support on a drama-filled night.
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks' NBA Play-In chances are alive — barely — for a few more days following a 123-119 victory over the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night in American Airlines Center. It's clear, the Mavericks may be on life support, but they are not dead yet.
On a night when Mavericks governor Mark Cuban bemoaned and blame-shifted regarding the Mavs' missteps when trying to re-sign former starting guard Jalen Brunson, Kyrie Irving — the franchise's attempts to recoup what was lost with Brunson — scored 19 fourth-quarter points, finishing with 31 total, to save the season, at least for another day, as the NBA Play-In Tournament feels like a plausible reality with two games left to play.
“He made it rain," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. "Uncle Drew. The difficulty of shots he makes look easy."
In an impromptu meeting with reporters before the game and Irving's heroics, Cuban validated that Dallas wants to re-sign the star it traded for days before the NBA's trade deadline.
“Look, we want to keep Kyrie," he said. "We think he’s a positive. The offensive numbers when he and Luka [Doncic] are on the court are through the roof."
Cuban also blamed Brunson's family for pushing the Mavericks out of contract negotiations with their former point guard, who may very well win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award.
"Where it went south was when Rick took over, when the parent took over, or parents took over," Cuban said of contract negotiations with Brunson last season.
It all sounded like damage control coming from a damaged team that was a loser of seven of the last eight contests coming into Wednesday night and was dealing with Tim Hardaway Sr. ridiculing the leadership of Irving and Doncic.
"That trade wasn't for them, what isn't broken doesn't need to be fixed,” Hardaway Sr. said, referring to the Mavs’ trade for Irving before this year’s deadline on FS1’s The Carton Show. “They're missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader.
“A leader shows by example too, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and that's what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders, they're complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers."
So, like Cuban, Tim Hardaway Jr. — in an attempt at damage control — came out before the game to reporters and emphatically denied agreeing with his Hall of Fame father's perception of the leadership ills of the Mavs' star duo.
“I’ve come out numerous of times and told you all how much leadership Luka has shown throughout my entire time here in Dallas,” the younger Hardaway said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News. “He shows it on and off the floor. … And Kyrie has been nothing [other] than a leader since he’s been here. …So it’s just hard to deal with that.
“I love those guys. I love my teammates. … It’s disappointing that I have to come out here and say this. I love him [his dad] to death. … My dad made a mistake. It’s his opinion, not mine. We’re two different human beings.”
Regardless of the outside noise surrounding the team, Dallas showed up. For one night, with its season on the line, Sacramento streaking, and desperation creeping in like an intruder in the night, Dallas answered a call it had ignored for the last 20 games — with the team's back to the wall, the Mavs won.
“Throughout my career, there have been times I have had to learn from very harsh lessons, losing and being defeated," Irving said after the game. "I think that’s prepared me for now, no matter what we have in front of us game-wise. Control what I can control."
Yet, though the Mavericks can win out, the team doesn't control its fate. Dallas needs help. Specifically, the Mavs need the Oklahoma City Thunder (10th) to lose against the Utah Jazz and then the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kidd admitted that it's on his mind, but he doesn't plan on watching the Thunder games.
"I have no control over that," he said. "I'll see the score."
Doncic, on the other hand, is keeping close tabs on what will be happening with the Thunder against Utah and Memphis. Though the season is disappointing, he hasn't given up yet.
And thanks to Irving, neither have the rest of the Mavericks. Since the trade deadline, Dallas looked and felt like it was in a coma. Wednesday night was the first sign the team was waking up — they moved an arm, wrinkled a nose, pursed a lip. It doesn't mean that the season isn't dead or that the play-in is a guarantee, but the Mavericks are still fighting. Still breathing. And if the Mavs win on Friday against the Chicago Bulls, the prognosis isn't nearly as bleak.
"Where we’re at, we have to win two really tough games," Doncic said. "But yeah, we’re confident, for sure."
