Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic silence critics in historic Mavericks performance
Burdened by expectations, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic validate the great potential of their pairing.
DALLAS — Before Thursday night, Kyrie Irving was burdened.
He and Luka Doncic struggled to win together, often looking disjointed at times when the game hung in the balance. But with Philadelphia in town, the Dallas Mavericks clinging to seeding in a crowded lower half of the Western Conference, and the outside noise beginning to question if the generational perimeter talents could work together, Irving and Doncic responded by combining for 82 points in a 133-126 win to silence detractors, for now.
They become the only pair of Mavericks teammates to score 40 points each in the same game. And the win, which Irving admitted he wanted badly, squelched much of the anxiety to perform that has haunted the enigmatic star since arriving in Dallas.
"It's just playing ball at a high level, and I've done it my whole life," Irving said with relief after the game. "People would like to make a bit of an emphasis on how many games we have lost. But right now, we are putting one foot in front of the other. When we are out there, it's not going to look perfect all the time, but when we are aggressive, making quick moves and being decisive, the offense flourishes."
Irving set out to be more aggressive against the 76ers. He scored 20 of his 40 points before the intermission. Meanwhile, Doncic hummed to his impressively mundane 42 points alongside his co-star.
The duo built a 25-point lead by the third quarter before a blistering 24-3 run at the end of the frame made the game far closer than it had to be.
Irving, on the floor for part of the 76ers comeback efforts, feared that "it" was happening again. The "it" in question was blown leads, a reality that has become all too common with this rendition of the Mavericks.
Still, Irving, undeterred from any moment, stayed the course — hitting near-impossible shots over the outstretched hands of bigger defenders like Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.
What kept Irving composed while the game appeared to be slipping away was a phrase he posted on his social platforms: "Chop wood, carry water."
It's a phrase that he explained reminds him to stay poised in the moment-to-moment circumstances of life and the game that, before Thursday night, brought the intense burden of desired success and purloined gratification.
"It's about eliminating all external distractions, and just focusing on the process and enjoying it every day," Irving said. "Greatness is meant for those who persistently pursue their dreams every day, and make that choice when they wake up. it's just a mentality really. The process itself is something I need to focus on rather than trying to appease anybody. The game itself is the most important thing. It's the object to win."
As the number of games left for the Mavericks to "get right" dwindles, Doncic and Irving are continuing to find their pace. Continuing to chop wood and carry water.
"Playing with Kai is so easy," Doncic said after the game.
And it's in that ease of the game that both Doncic and Irving continue to celebrate the possibilities their pairing presents. Not looking ahead, per se. But acknowledging that there are few teams capable of stopping two of the NBA's dominant scorers. They continue to support the process, through its imperfections. And they continue to speak a language that indicates the inevitability of their success together if they keep doing exactly what they already are.
The Mavericks and their two stars are taking it one day at a time. In a world that wants instant results and immediate gratification, respecting the process, and having patience for its success, is often the hardest skill to come by.
"It's just doing the little things to put my teammates in the best position [to win]," Irving said. "We just got to keep it up… stay consistent."
Some would say abating burdens by chopping wood and carrying water.
Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports.
