Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts and feelings after the Dallas Mavericks lost Game 2 to the Boston Celtics and fell into an 0-2 deficit. Fans who have been watching the NBA postseason will know that the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals once again and matched up against Irving, Luka Doncic, and the Dallas Mavericks.
Boston proved that their elite record during the regular season and run to the NBA Finals was no fluke by defeating the Mavericks for the first 2 games of this series and successfully defended home court. After Game 2 came to an end, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic were questioned about their most recent loss. That said, Mavs fans will undoubtedly want to know what their stars had to say before the series shifts venues to Dallas.
Kyrie Irving made just 2 shots in the second half of Game 2
Although Kyrie Irving has been considered by many as one of the most skilled and talented players in the history of the NBA, he has struggled a great deal in terms of scoring against the Celtics so far in this series. Irving scored just 12 points in Game 1 and had 16 points in Game 2. However, he was simply not efficient and made just 2 shots in the second half of the game.
Since Kyrie has some form of bad blood with the Boston Celtics’ organization, he was questioned regarding the environment in which the Celtics’ fanbase materialized and whether it had an impact on his abilities. Moreover, Irving was also asked to share his feelings on his own scoring slump.
“That’s the confidence that I have in myself. A lot of shots were hitting the back rim. That can p*ss you off as a competitor…That’s the toughest challenge when you play in a series. Especially in the Finals. You know, a little disappointed in myself for not being able to convert a lot more of my opportunities that I had in the lane…I just gotta be more aware of their adjustments…”Considering that Kyrie Irving heavily underperformed by the standards that he has set for himself throughout his postseason career, one can certainly understand why he felt disappointed in himself. Luka Doncic also felt the same way during his own postgame interview.
Luka Doncic took responsibility for this loss to the Boston Celtics
Although Luka Doncic finished the night scoring a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, it was simply not enough to lead the Mavs to victory. During his postgame interview, Doncic claimed that the Mavs may have won if he made his free throws and did not commit as many turnovers.
It is undoubtedly interesting to see Doncic take the blame despite having multiple teammates who did not live up to expectations in Game 3. In any case, fans are left wondering if Kyrie and Luka can turn things around for the Mavericks as the series shifts to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.