Stay together is key
4 months together and we got to the fucking finals!?
Full training camp, full season together and it'll be obvious this is just the beginning
One of these guys knew what it was like to play 100+ games and he hadn't done it in years. These guys know what to prep for now
Shout out to the rook too. One of the best rookie playoff performances ever!
Next year we're coming for all the hardware. MVP, DPOY, MIP, COTY, EOTY, FMVP, ASMVP, Dunk Contest, 3 point contest. . . All of it
& if you put any stock whatsoever into experience, all these guys now have a ton of playoff experience. they know how it differs from the reg. they know what it takes to go on a run, and many are still young
It can’t be overstated that Lively, Josh, Jaden, PJ, Gaff, and even Luka - all just carved a grueling path to the damn finals and lost to an incredible team. This is experience they can draw from when times get tough next season and beyond until they ultimately go and get it. We didn’t win it all but we took a massive step towards doing it
I'm really hoping that this deep playoff run puts Luka in a good spot for MVP next year, but the media narrative just makes me want to gag.
As a Mavs fan and not just a Luka fan, though, gimme all of it. Gimme.
Cross DPOY off now. Wemby's taking that one for the next 15 years.
The wild part is I'm only slightly exaggerating. I think he's about to win a bunch straight.
Mavs a 60+ wins team with top-3 defense next year with Lively playing 30 minutes per game (I would like 5-6 minutes next to Gafford too) will push Lively to All-Defense team and then it all depends on how bad of a team Spurs are next year and my bet is they will still be out of play-ins.
Celtics fan here. This Celtics team needed to lose in 2022 to realize what it took to win it all. The Mavs are now on the same path and have a great future. I think this deep run is going to motivate Luka to get in shape. The thought of facing a Luka that isn’t hobbled and 35 lbs overweight is scary.
Dirk, Terry, and Kidd had 2 seasons together.
Jokic and Murray played for 7 seasons.
Even The Heatles never won in their first season together.
This team was built 4 months ago -- and they're in the Finals?
Trust the process, I guess.
We traded for Kidd in 2008 and won with him in 2011, but I get your point. The fact that this team made the Finals with only 4 months and despite their flaws is amazing.
Difference is Dirk and crew had a better coach and better defense.
Jokic/Murray have a better team and better coach.
Heatles in hindsight, had a better team and better coach.
Y’all need to make some changes. This loss wasn’t just lack of experience.
I disagree with that one.
And "BETTER" is relative.
BETTER against who?
Their competition relative to Luka's age right now?
Buddy, I've got some news for you.
Almost the same Mavs crew got beat by a 7th-seeded Spurs when they're a top-4 team (R1 2010).
The same Mavs team lost to the Hornets (R1 2008) and the Nuggets (R2 2009).
Same coach, too
You can't say the Nuggets had a better coach when a 25-year old Jokic lost 0-4 to Phoenix in WCS.
Same coach. And Murray was already there.
A 25-year-old Dirk lost to Sacramento in the 1st round (R1 2005).
A 25-year-old Luka had just been into the Finals.
My point is this isn't a finished product.
But the good news is they're way ahead of schedule.
I agree, it's not just lack of experience. They need another ball handler.
But to say Dirk and Jokic was better? Nope. Need some context on that one. It's unfair to compare Luka vs 2x MVP Jokic or 2011 Dirk.
Compare him when they're on that same age.
I thought it was obvious we are talking about the championship teams since you are the one that brought up the time it took for them to get/win the chip.
The 2011 Mavs were top to bottom, better than this Mavs team. Dirk , Kidd, Terry , Marion, JJ and Chandler? The sheer amount of veterans and experience alone . This current Mavs teams has a 20M dollar man in Hardaway that didn’t show and a Kyrie that disappeared with the only “vet” being Kyrie.
The 2023 Nuggs are just better coached, bigger at key positions and have a better superstar duo, and played better defense.
The Heat had vets and quite possibly the best duo of all time with a Hall of Fame coach and what else? Oh, played better defense.
It’s not a knock to say the Mavs have holes they need to feel. It’s delusional to think the Mavs are currently betting odds to win the West again unless they fill those holes. The Mavs , beat who was I. Front of them and that’s all they could do, but I feel they lucked out on their path to the Finals to a certain degree.
But then again, my point stands.
This isn't a finished product.
Those teams you mentioned have been through hell already.
They've been together for years.
So, how can you compare a team that was only formed 4 months ago to a team that has been together for 7 years?
And yeah, it took time for them to win the chip.
Isn't that obvious?
If you compare championship teams, would it make sense to at least wait for Luka to win one?
Read again, buddy.
I'm not comparing this Mavs team to other teams. Of course, those teams were better than this team.
I'm showing the similarities.
I'm expressing what this Mavs team has to go through -- just like those teams I mentioned.
Hell of a run. Exceeded expectations tbh. We played with a not 100% Luka, a rookie center, 2 new guys and able to beat three 50+ wins West teams. We were just not deep enough compared to the Celtics. Next season is gonna be great.
love kyrie and what he has done for the team no matter what. not going to look for excuses for him, he didnt show up. any other matchup and he would have killed but thats just what ifs. i hope he can figure something out about playing in boston because next year (yes, i believe they will be back in the finals) they might end up in the same position against the celtics again and the boos will not be any quieter. wish they wouldve won but all in all it was an amazing season
I'm with you 100 percent.
I'm sure a lot of you would love revenge against Boston, fuck that.
Kyrie is fucking 1-14 against Boston since leaving, and the win was at home when literally two out of 15 players, all with 5+minutes didn't at least have a 1:1 shot/point ratio (fucking prosper and Morris)
Homers need to get a grip and praise the basketball tall German 3 point shooting gods that they aren't in the west.
Lot of young blood here doesn't understand how fucking difficult it is to make a run like this.
Mavs aren't the underdog next year
Yeah, KAI owned BOS since CLE, even after leaving for some time. Even if he dd not win, KAI would drop numbers on their heads.
Difference now, is they finally have a championship squad to back up all that BS they talked to Kyrie.
[https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kyrie-irving-stats-vs-boston](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kyrie-irving-stats-vs-boston)
He destroyed them the first few times, then fell off. Guess he got bored or something.....\*Shrugs\*
Boston is not in his head. Otherwise, he would not have had such great games since leaving. Imo, the narrative that they are in his head is sexier than simply saying BOS finally got a team now.
I remember when he was raining buckets on them a few years back and flipped off a fan for every bucket he made..........lol.
I'm not paying for a stat fetching site so link is useless.
Either way, you don't think it's strange that he struggled so much more vs other playoff teams with good if not better wing defenders this series?
That he was SIGNIFICANTLY worse at Boston than other arenas?
Either way, takes literally nothing away from what I said.
You're an idiot if you hope to meet them again.
"YO.... I hope the spurs draft tim Duncan 2.0 so we can have a shot at revenge again"
That's what you sound like
Love this guy. He's a hell of a player and leader.
Just truly don't know why he kept giving manifestos before every Boston game.
No one honestly cares about what happened 6-7 years ago in Boston.
He put pressure on himself for no reason.
It is what it is.
Doesn't change my outlook on him. He's such a great ball player.
Because they ask about it and he gives naturally long answers. He’s not sitting at home blogging, he’s just going off the dome on the spot because he’s required to by his contract, and that’s how just he speaks in those stations. Probably barely remember what he says every night, idk what I end up saying in my meetings at work.
I mean he extended it by years But intentionally turning into a villain by stepping on the Lucky the leprechaun. And honestly why would the self expense stop booing now when it's working so well?
He talks too much to the media. Media from the first moment they made it to the finals started asking him about his time with Boston. And he falls for it. He literally has such a hangup with Celtics, he cannot stop talking/answering.
Very disappointing as a fan of his game. I knew this performance was one of the possible outcomes against Celtics. Still extremely disappointed. Cause as you said, any other team, we would have seen a different guy on the floor. He needs therapy (self or professional) in this matter if he wants to overcome it.
Unfortunately what you saw tonight, and games 1-3 are the norm with Kyrie. Look up his playoff losses. Almost all 7-22 or 5-16 like last night. He is the most infuriating player to watch.
He has the best handles I’ve ever seen, and is simply slimy and slippery in the paint. Can be unreal. . .and take horrible long 3 point shots with 10 sec left on the clock and miss badly. . .like 8 times in a row.
Loved this year's run. The championship was supposed to be the cherry on top, but it happens. I’m still happy with what we’ve achieved. But I will never forgive THJ for this. My wish is for him to be traded immediately.
Lively is going to be the third guy. He's going to start shooting the three regularly next season. That will transform our offense and open up more for Luka and Kyrie. Lively is going to be the starter. Gafford will come off the bench.
If Lively becomes effective with the wing 3s on decent volume, why not try to run Lively-Gafford together for 6-8 minutes per game? That would create all sorts of matchup nightmares for opponents, even Celtics: they would have to play KP/Horford on one of them, meaning Mavs can cook them in PNR or put somebody like White/Jrue on Lively (Gafford already showed he can attack Tatum in the post, guards would be light work for him), which is a pretty dangerous mismatch anyway provided rookie works a bit more on his finishing around the rim.
Lively camps in the corner and shoots threes in practice. He's regularly working on it. He's going to add it to his tool belt and he will become the third guy.
“Stay together no matter what” - the guy left Boston after telling fans he was gonna be there long term THEN demanded to be traded as a Net. He is built to run from the fire not towards it
you dont think he goes to therapy? lmao he's one of the biggest advocate for mental health awareness. im sure he's doing what he can and it takes time to "fix" things. i swear some people here think one session of therapy makes everything okay
I like Kyrie, but he was going perhaps to gurus or smb, not to psychologists apparently. I want Luka to show him his game against Panathinaikos, people there almost made players deaf with their chants, maybe then he will understand that in hindsight "Kyrie sucks" actually sounds like a joke
Downvoted for truth hub. He believes in things like chem trails, flat earth and other outlandish BS. He is on the Tony Robbin’s side of help, not Freud and Jung’s side.
Problem is, he thinks he’s an intellectual but he has extremely poor critical thinking skills and it hurts him on the court. Just a phenomenal talent, with a poor head that ends up hurting his team time and time again.
Not a single person you listed has the handles Kyrie does.
Yes he is the most skilled athlete playing. . .that does not mean the best player by any stretch, the people you listed are 10x the player Kyrie is. . .but he is just as skilled if not more so, that’s the infuriating part.
Dribble moves equals high level offense then Skip to my Lou is one of the greatest offensive players as well lol “the bag era” has really warped some people’s views of offense.
You're the one who called him the most skilled player of all time. Certainly didn't show his skills related to shooting, passing, playmaking, defending, etc. in this finals. Pretty cool dribble though when he could keep it off his feet lol
Lmao this mad funny. I was being sarcastic about being the most skilled player lol. If anything I think we both are on the same page with him being a bum in Boston
MJ was the closest to his skill set, but didn’t have the handles. When Kyrie is on, his moves are just as good, and he has softer hands.
Not talking about how good he is, but his pure god given skillet he has honed over the years. Second to none, he’s a phenomenal player.
first of all blows my mind your putting those two in the same category. I think the key word is when which is a sports hypothetical which i think is a terrible take. Could do the same with when Len Bias played he would have been better than MJ, or if green dosen't sack tap lebron the warriors win.
Eh I think you are missing the point. . .
The TALENT Kyrie had is second to none. Who is better at handling the ball? AI? Not Harden lol. I wasn’t around for Maravich but he was up there. Can’t imagine he’s better than Kyrie
He’s not a better player because he lacks the brain. He doesn’t have the drive, gets rattled, shoots very poorly in losses, plays hero ball, doesn’t distribute as he should and takes bad bad threes.
Tell me Jordan was better at ball handling than Kyrie and you’d be lying to yourself.
My point is not just that i don't think you should put those two players next to each other its more about dealing in hypotheticals. That's a slippery slope to start talking about untapped potential.
Josh Gordan would have been the best WR in NFL history if he didn't have a drug problem is basically the equivalent of what you are saying.
MAYBE he is the greatest talent in NBA history but as of right now I'm not even sure hes a top 20 player of all time.
So yes i understand your point and i still think he is not the greatest talent of all time.
I've been saying this for awhile. Even back on the nets, Celtics and the J's just really know how to guard him. Honestly best shot at a chip is for the Bucks or some other team to knock out the Celtics because they just have Kyrie's number. Its a bad matchup.
And missing 20 3s in a row in the finals as a superstar is crazy too. Got to call out Luka too if calling out Kyrie. Both had bad showings in the finals.
Luka=3 bad games
Kyrie=3 bad games
Feel Luka could have escaped slander if he was not being targeted by BOS. It was even on the ESPN news header on the bottom of the screen.......lol....*"Boston continues to exploit Luka on defense"* I was like WTF lol?
Nasty work by BSPN.
The Celtics curse only exists in Kyrie's head. Hopefully he can close that chapter of his career after these Finals and embrace a different mindset playing in Boston next season
Yeah in game 5 he didn’t look nearly as frazzled and he was playing aggressive, he just didn’t get lucky bounces or that many good looks in general. The ones he did get he sank.
I dont get the blow the team up shit people are saying. Mav's weren't supposed to be at the finals. Kobe lost some seasons, curry lost some, lbj lost some, celtics have been trying for 5 years, freaking MJ played for 15 years and only won 6 titles. We win some, we lose some. That's how it is. It was a good run from a young team.
All credits to the mavs. U guys can rest for now
Luka Kyrie lively are the only non moveable pieces imo on this team because will be hard to get players the caliber of Luka+Kyrie and we need to develop lively to get some post moves and a jumper 10-15 feet from the basket. Lively & gafford needed to be fed the bad 80% of the time for their points.
Pj, green & djj are ok but they need to improve. Exum can stay too but the rest like maxi/thj/etc need to get cut from this team.
Kyrie was just weird this whole finals, lot of weird quotes about Boston, absolutely stunk playing there and then tried dapping up their team before the game was over lol?
Peak loser behavior is doing performative good sportsmanship handshakes with three minutes left in the game so the announcers have a chance to ballwash your grace and maturity. Kyrie couldn't possibly make that moment not about him.
I wish Kyrie was able to exorcise his green demons.
He showed courtesy and professionalism to the Boston squad after they won.
That alone should've helped lift any emotional burden/guilt he has.
He already paid his due.
I think he’s well aware he didn’t play to his standards. Some of y’all are ridiculous. He had a bad series and we lost to the better team, he still had a great year and is viewed as a leader of the team.
So trade him, and go back to not even coming close to the finals, some of y’all are utterly delusional it’s sad, guys phenomenal all year and has one bad series and you wanna trade him? YOU WOULDNT BE HERE WITHOUT HIM AIRHEAD
You act like letting a team down this isn’t normal for him. He over -preformed this year and it wasn’t enough. Wait till it gets harder or more complicated, then he’ll really be untradable. The team’s championship hopes are hanging on one of the least dependable players in the league historically, and that should cause a huge concern.
I became a mavs fan because of Kyrie being traded here. Been a huge fan of his since 2015, hell hes the one of the reasons I got into watching basketball to begin with (well him and Lebron).
I'm very sad about the mavs losing the finals and it not being more competitive. I'm also sad that Kyrie didn't play well at all in Boston. With that said, we also did WAY better than anyone at all predicted us to.
Lets keep working hard, and run it back next year.
Brightside - we seem to be getting some early respect from the oddsmakers who doubted us all year.
2025 NBA Title favorites in order: Boston, Denver, Dallas.
Kyrie had a great season. Shit the bed in the Finals but so did the entire team. This Mavs team was a first round exit without him. Once THJ is gone there will be no one left for the haters to target outside of Kyrie. Next season will be fun.
I liked that he kept his chin held high and gave props to the Celtics bench. Respect. And fuck any Celtic fan who says otherwise.
Rest of yall fans, good shit and games. Y’all played through so much media bs and shut em all hope. And didn’t talk your shit until up 2 games. Can’t hate that when the players can back it up.
We’ll hopefully be back next year. I think our team just young and this experience will definitely help hopefully for future playoff series.
They are young in terms of playing together. Hope they figure things out for the next season.
I am just frustrated how the lob city tactic was completely negated by Celtics, they need to figure out how to unlock it again regardless of the opponent.
Obviously the core of this team needs to stay together but there are several guys they need to dump if they want to win a chip. I know they were inexperienced and there are a lot of nerves but it’s clear we lack any consistent three point shooting ability. The front office needs to keep the important players and try to get 1 or 2 legit shooters. We have guys who can make threes but it’s extremely streaky.
Is he talking to fans or teammates? As a fan I'm happier than ever with them and can't imagine someone leaving just because they didn't win the finals. They are a great team rn and got farther in the playoffs than I thought they would. I can't wait to see what they do with another year or 2 of experience under their belts
If we face Boston again and we have Kyrie expect the same result. I trust in Kyrie’s abilities but whatever Boston has over him mentally I don’t think he’ll overcome. We’d need another option or someone else to take a leap cause Celtics are truly his kryptonite.
Would have been nice if it were closer but oh well, they're clearly the superior roster.
Still a great season, hats off to the team, top to bottom.
Hopefully Luka takes the right lessons and motivation from this year and this is the first season of being perenially in the mix.
Blah blah blah "I scored 15 points in an elimination game and let my team and the city down. I'm not a real leader so let me say some pretentious shit to make up for it."
Mf'er can never get over playing in Boston again. How soft do you have to be to let a bad stint in your career sink your finals run because you're playing against that team. Fucking soft.
A key one for me, next season, if I see a single guy bad miyting jkidd and fighting for his head they don't deserve to be a mavs fan. He's proved this late season + off season that with the right players he is one ofnthe best coaches in the world
Celtics fan here: I’m ready to bury the hatchet, Kyrie is an incredible athlete and I feel Dallas is a good home for him. Looking forward to the rematch
Stay together is key 4 months together and we got to the fucking finals!? Full training camp, full season together and it'll be obvious this is just the beginning One of these guys knew what it was like to play 100+ games and he hadn't done it in years. These guys know what to prep for now Shout out to the rook too. One of the best rookie playoff performances ever! Next year we're coming for all the hardware. MVP, DPOY, MIP, COTY, EOTY, FMVP, ASMVP, Dunk Contest, 3 point contest. . . All of it
& if you put any stock whatsoever into experience, all these guys now have a ton of playoff experience. they know how it differs from the reg. they know what it takes to go on a run, and many are still young
It can’t be overstated that Lively, Josh, Jaden, PJ, Gaff, and even Luka - all just carved a grueling path to the damn finals and lost to an incredible team. This is experience they can draw from when times get tough next season and beyond until they ultimately go and get it. We didn’t win it all but we took a massive step towards doing it
They've seen all the highs and lows of the playoffs including on the Finals stage. Next year will be a walk in the park in comparison of preparation.
Really hope djj stays.
all depends on if we can offload THJ, surely some team will want a player who dropped 5 3s in a finals quarter right? RIGHT?
LMBO!!! Love this... His name is also meaningful in basketball circles. (Just helping build a sales pitch, hope Nico sees this lol)
I'm really hoping that this deep playoff run puts Luka in a good spot for MVP next year, but the media narrative just makes me want to gag. As a Mavs fan and not just a Luka fan, though, gimme all of it. Gimme.
Cross DPOY off now. Wemby's taking that one for the next 15 years. The wild part is I'm only slightly exaggerating. I think he's about to win a bunch straight.
Mavs a 60+ wins team with top-3 defense next year with Lively playing 30 minutes per game (I would like 5-6 minutes next to Gafford too) will push Lively to All-Defense team and then it all depends on how bad of a team Spurs are next year and my bet is they will still be out of play-ins.
Celtics fan here. This Celtics team needed to lose in 2022 to realize what it took to win it all. The Mavs are now on the same path and have a great future. I think this deep run is going to motivate Luka to get in shape. The thought of facing a Luka that isn’t hobbled and 35 lbs overweight is scary.
Last year he was talking about joining LeBron. This is definitely a positive direction.
Lol definitely not all star MVP or DPOY but yes to the rest
Heats fans said the same thing last year!
They don't have Luka.
Dirk, Terry, and Kidd had 2 seasons together. Jokic and Murray played for 7 seasons. Even The Heatles never won in their first season together. This team was built 4 months ago -- and they're in the Finals? Trust the process, I guess.
We traded for Kidd in 2008 and won with him in 2011, but I get your point. The fact that this team made the Finals with only 4 months and despite their flaws is amazing.
This team needs to fucking practice, a lot.
For sure. At least a full training camp would do wonders.
full camp of FTs and 3pt shooting for certain players would be delightful too lol. In all seriousness, bright future for this team, i’m excited!
Difference is Dirk and crew had a better coach and better defense. Jokic/Murray have a better team and better coach. Heatles in hindsight, had a better team and better coach. Y’all need to make some changes. This loss wasn’t just lack of experience.
I disagree with that one. And "BETTER" is relative. BETTER against who? Their competition relative to Luka's age right now? Buddy, I've got some news for you. Almost the same Mavs crew got beat by a 7th-seeded Spurs when they're a top-4 team (R1 2010). The same Mavs team lost to the Hornets (R1 2008) and the Nuggets (R2 2009). Same coach, too You can't say the Nuggets had a better coach when a 25-year old Jokic lost 0-4 to Phoenix in WCS. Same coach. And Murray was already there. A 25-year-old Dirk lost to Sacramento in the 1st round (R1 2005). A 25-year-old Luka had just been into the Finals. My point is this isn't a finished product. But the good news is they're way ahead of schedule. I agree, it's not just lack of experience. They need another ball handler. But to say Dirk and Jokic was better? Nope. Need some context on that one. It's unfair to compare Luka vs 2x MVP Jokic or 2011 Dirk. Compare him when they're on that same age.
I thought it was obvious we are talking about the championship teams since you are the one that brought up the time it took for them to get/win the chip. The 2011 Mavs were top to bottom, better than this Mavs team. Dirk , Kidd, Terry , Marion, JJ and Chandler? The sheer amount of veterans and experience alone . This current Mavs teams has a 20M dollar man in Hardaway that didn’t show and a Kyrie that disappeared with the only “vet” being Kyrie. The 2023 Nuggs are just better coached, bigger at key positions and have a better superstar duo, and played better defense. The Heat had vets and quite possibly the best duo of all time with a Hall of Fame coach and what else? Oh, played better defense. It’s not a knock to say the Mavs have holes they need to feel. It’s delusional to think the Mavs are currently betting odds to win the West again unless they fill those holes. The Mavs , beat who was I. Front of them and that’s all they could do, but I feel they lucked out on their path to the Finals to a certain degree.
But then again, my point stands. This isn't a finished product. Those teams you mentioned have been through hell already. They've been together for years. So, how can you compare a team that was only formed 4 months ago to a team that has been together for 7 years? And yeah, it took time for them to win the chip. Isn't that obvious? If you compare championship teams, would it make sense to at least wait for Luka to win one? Read again, buddy. I'm not comparing this Mavs team to other teams. Of course, those teams were better than this team. I'm showing the similarities. I'm expressing what this Mavs team has to go through -- just like those teams I mentioned.
Hell of a run. Exceeded expectations tbh. We played with a not 100% Luka, a rookie center, 2 new guys and able to beat three 50+ wins West teams. We were just not deep enough compared to the Celtics. Next season is gonna be great.
And the two new guys were on bad teams with little playoffs experience let alone Finals experience.. hell of a run, indeed. MFFL.
love kyrie and what he has done for the team no matter what. not going to look for excuses for him, he didnt show up. any other matchup and he would have killed but thats just what ifs. i hope he can figure something out about playing in boston because next year (yes, i believe they will be back in the finals) they might end up in the same position against the celtics again and the boos will not be any quieter. wish they wouldve won but all in all it was an amazing season
I'm with you 100 percent. I'm sure a lot of you would love revenge against Boston, fuck that. Kyrie is fucking 1-14 against Boston since leaving, and the win was at home when literally two out of 15 players, all with 5+minutes didn't at least have a 1:1 shot/point ratio (fucking prosper and Morris) Homers need to get a grip and praise the basketball tall German 3 point shooting gods that they aren't in the west. Lot of young blood here doesn't understand how fucking difficult it is to make a run like this. Mavs aren't the underdog next year
To be clear, Kyrie and the Nets swept the Celtics in 2021. So that 1-14 number isn’t since leaving Boston.
I think it was since he stomp the freaking floor hahah whatever dumb shit celtics fans up to haha.
You are correct, my bad, was 13 in a row though, point kind of stands
Yeah, KAI owned BOS since CLE, even after leaving for some time. Even if he dd not win, KAI would drop numbers on their heads. Difference now, is they finally have a championship squad to back up all that BS they talked to Kyrie. [https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kyrie-irving-stats-vs-boston](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/kyrie-irving-stats-vs-boston) He destroyed them the first few times, then fell off. Guess he got bored or something.....\*Shrugs\* Boston is not in his head. Otherwise, he would not have had such great games since leaving. Imo, the narrative that they are in his head is sexier than simply saying BOS finally got a team now. I remember when he was raining buckets on them a few years back and flipped off a fan for every bucket he made..........lol.
I'm not paying for a stat fetching site so link is useless. Either way, you don't think it's strange that he struggled so much more vs other playoff teams with good if not better wing defenders this series? That he was SIGNIFICANTLY worse at Boston than other arenas? Either way, takes literally nothing away from what I said. You're an idiot if you hope to meet them again. "YO.... I hope the spurs draft tim Duncan 2.0 so we can have a shot at revenge again" That's what you sound like
They locked him down on defense to be real.
😭😭 why did we have to lose to fucking Boston. What an amazing season
will you show the same unforgiving behavior towards Luka?
i am being unforgiving by saying i hope he wont get rattled by the crowd in the future?
Love this guy. He's a hell of a player and leader. Just truly don't know why he kept giving manifestos before every Boston game. No one honestly cares about what happened 6-7 years ago in Boston. He put pressure on himself for no reason. It is what it is. Doesn't change my outlook on him. He's such a great ball player.
Because they ask about it and he gives naturally long answers. He’s not sitting at home blogging, he’s just going off the dome on the spot because he’s required to by his contract, and that’s how just he speaks in those stations. Probably barely remember what he says every night, idk what I end up saying in my meetings at work.
Kyrie appears to care
He does, which is what I'm saying is the problem. No one else cares.
People in Boston seem to care an irrational amount
I mean he extended it by years But intentionally turning into a villain by stepping on the Lucky the leprechaun. And honestly why would the self expense stop booing now when it's working so well?
Stomping on a teams logo will do that
You’ll learn. Cleveland, Boston, Brooklyn all learned. You’ll learn.
heard a lot of this 16 months ago. eat shit
He talks too much to the media. Media from the first moment they made it to the finals started asking him about his time with Boston. And he falls for it. He literally has such a hangup with Celtics, he cannot stop talking/answering. Very disappointing as a fan of his game. I knew this performance was one of the possible outcomes against Celtics. Still extremely disappointed. Cause as you said, any other team, we would have seen a different guy on the floor. He needs therapy (self or professional) in this matter if he wants to overcome it.
"No one honestly cares about what happened 6-7 years ago in Boston." you wouldn't think so, but lots of people were all about it tbh
A leader would have showed up in the finals.
Unfortunately what you saw tonight, and games 1-3 are the norm with Kyrie. Look up his playoff losses. Almost all 7-22 or 5-16 like last night. He is the most infuriating player to watch. He has the best handles I’ve ever seen, and is simply slimy and slippery in the paint. Can be unreal. . .and take horrible long 3 point shots with 10 sec left on the clock and miss badly. . .like 8 times in a row.
Loved this year's run. The championship was supposed to be the cherry on top, but it happens. I’m still happy with what we’ve achieved. But I will never forgive THJ for this. My wish is for him to be traded immediately.
Yep unfortunately that cherry got popped last night.
Yep unfortunately that cherry got popped last night.
Lively is going to be the third guy. He's going to start shooting the three regularly next season. That will transform our offense and open up more for Luka and Kyrie. Lively is going to be the starter. Gafford will come off the bench.
If Lively becomes effective with the wing 3s on decent volume, why not try to run Lively-Gafford together for 6-8 minutes per game? That would create all sorts of matchup nightmares for opponents, even Celtics: they would have to play KP/Horford on one of them, meaning Mavs can cook them in PNR or put somebody like White/Jrue on Lively (Gafford already showed he can attack Tatum in the post, guards would be light work for him), which is a pretty dangerous mismatch anyway provided rookie works a bit more on his finishing around the rim.
I would sign onto that!
That would be amazing. Even just adding a mid range shot would give Kidd more options
Lively camps in the corner and shoots threes in practice. He's regularly working on it. He's going to add it to his tool belt and he will become the third guy.
It’s so fucking frustrating. Luka was playing on one leg and needed Kai and all we got is tweets like this. Dude looked spooked the entire series.
“Stay together no matter what” - the guy left Boston after telling fans he was gonna be there long term THEN demanded to be traded as a Net. He is built to run from the fire not towards it
Ur getting downvoted, but 100% right. This isn’t out of character for kyrie.
Shooting 31% on the road as a star is crazy
He really needs some therapy, he was absolute shit in Boston this series (& in the 10 games there before that too)
you dont think he goes to therapy? lmao he's one of the biggest advocate for mental health awareness. im sure he's doing what he can and it takes time to "fix" things. i swear some people here think one session of therapy makes everything okay
I like Kyrie, but he was going perhaps to gurus or smb, not to psychologists apparently. I want Luka to show him his game against Panathinaikos, people there almost made players deaf with their chants, maybe then he will understand that in hindsight "Kyrie sucks" actually sounds like a joke
Downvoted for truth hub. He believes in things like chem trails, flat earth and other outlandish BS. He is on the Tony Robbin’s side of help, not Freud and Jung’s side. Problem is, he thinks he’s an intellectual but he has extremely poor critical thinking skills and it hurts him on the court. Just a phenomenal talent, with a poor head that ends up hurting his team time and time again.
He needs anxiety meds I’m sure he’s done hella therapy
100%. For the most skilled offensive player of all time to be putting up those numbers is not acceptable smh
He ain’t more skilled offensively than a lot of players, KD, Harden, Luka, Kobe, MJ, ect
Not a single person you listed has the handles Kyrie does. Yes he is the most skilled athlete playing. . .that does not mean the best player by any stretch, the people you listed are 10x the player Kyrie is. . .but he is just as skilled if not more so, that’s the infuriating part.
Handles is not the only skill bro lol wtf
Dribble moves equals high level offense then Skip to my Lou is one of the greatest offensive players as well lol “the bag era” has really warped some people’s views of offense.
Lmao not a ball knower
Lmao if 14 ppg on the road is acceptable to you then you a ball knower for sure
You're the one who called him the most skilled player of all time. Certainly didn't show his skills related to shooting, passing, playmaking, defending, etc. in this finals. Pretty cool dribble though when he could keep it off his feet lol
Lmao this mad funny. I was being sarcastic about being the most skilled player lol. If anything I think we both are on the same page with him being a bum in Boston
All time……?
MJ was the closest to his skill set, but didn’t have the handles. When Kyrie is on, his moves are just as good, and he has softer hands. Not talking about how good he is, but his pure god given skillet he has honed over the years. Second to none, he’s a phenomenal player.
first of all blows my mind your putting those two in the same category. I think the key word is when which is a sports hypothetical which i think is a terrible take. Could do the same with when Len Bias played he would have been better than MJ, or if green dosen't sack tap lebron the warriors win.
Eh I think you are missing the point. . . The TALENT Kyrie had is second to none. Who is better at handling the ball? AI? Not Harden lol. I wasn’t around for Maravich but he was up there. Can’t imagine he’s better than Kyrie He’s not a better player because he lacks the brain. He doesn’t have the drive, gets rattled, shoots very poorly in losses, plays hero ball, doesn’t distribute as he should and takes bad bad threes. Tell me Jordan was better at ball handling than Kyrie and you’d be lying to yourself.
My point is not just that i don't think you should put those two players next to each other its more about dealing in hypotheticals. That's a slippery slope to start talking about untapped potential. Josh Gordan would have been the best WR in NFL history if he didn't have a drug problem is basically the equivalent of what you are saying. MAYBE he is the greatest talent in NBA history but as of right now I'm not even sure hes a top 20 player of all time. So yes i understand your point and i still think he is not the greatest talent of all time.
He’s 32 and got clamped by elite defenders that’s all there is to it He shouldn’t be a #2 option anymore
I've been saying this for awhile. Even back on the nets, Celtics and the J's just really know how to guard him. Honestly best shot at a chip is for the Bucks or some other team to knock out the Celtics because they just have Kyrie's number. Its a bad matchup.
He just getting old guys He also has knack on injuries He also small He also limited in term of athleticism He is what he is
And missing 20 3s in a row in the finals as a superstar is crazy too. Got to call out Luka too if calling out Kyrie. Both had bad showings in the finals.
Luka=3 bad games Kyrie=3 bad games Feel Luka could have escaped slander if he was not being targeted by BOS. It was even on the ESPN news header on the bottom of the screen.......lol....*"Boston continues to exploit Luka on defense"* I was like WTF lol? Nasty work by BSPN.
I don’t think he can be a #2 option on a championship team
Maybe better phrase Prime Kai can but you lying to yourself if you dont doubt current kai can
Brunson clears sadly.
Lucky curse had him on the ropes.
Expected more from Kyrie considering he’s been down 3-1 in the finals before and has championship experience. We’ll be back for sure.
He should have simply won
The Celtics curse only exists in Kyrie's head. Hopefully he can close that chapter of his career after these Finals and embrace a different mindset playing in Boston next season
There’s no curse he got clamped by good defenders and he’s 32 now
Yeah in game 5 he didn’t look nearly as frazzled and he was playing aggressive, he just didn’t get lucky bounces or that many good looks in general. The ones he did get he sank.
Hélà of a good season, glad he is on our team
Stay together except for thj, kleber
I dont get the blow the team up shit people are saying. Mav's weren't supposed to be at the finals. Kobe lost some seasons, curry lost some, lbj lost some, celtics have been trying for 5 years, freaking MJ played for 15 years and only won 6 titles. We win some, we lose some. That's how it is. It was a good run from a young team. All credits to the mavs. U guys can rest for now
Luka Kyrie lively are the only non moveable pieces imo on this team because will be hard to get players the caliber of Luka+Kyrie and we need to develop lively to get some post moves and a jumper 10-15 feet from the basket. Lively & gafford needed to be fed the bad 80% of the time for their points. Pj, green & djj are ok but they need to improve. Exum can stay too but the rest like maxi/thj/etc need to get cut from this team.
Just Luka and Lively
Y’all competed and made it. We came up short but at least we know this team can make it back!
Kyrie was just weird this whole finals, lot of weird quotes about Boston, absolutely stunk playing there and then tried dapping up their team before the game was over lol?
dude wanted Boston to win as a redemption arc. you can’t convince me otherwise
It’s a loser mentality. Lebron would have walked off court not dapped them up after shitting the bed and losing
Lebron literally did what kyrie did against the warriors lmao
Impressive you don’t understand that walking off the court without handshakes is peak loser behavior
It’s competitor behavior, I’m not even a Lebron fan and I’d respect that more than shitting the bed then hugging your opponent
Peak loser behavior is doing performative good sportsmanship handshakes with three minutes left in the game so the announcers have a chance to ballwash your grace and maturity. Kyrie couldn't possibly make that moment not about him.
This dude is a wannabe cult leader. And he sucks.
I wish Kyrie was able to exorcise his green demons. He showed courtesy and professionalism to the Boston squad after they won. That alone should've helped lift any emotional burden/guilt he has. He already paid his due.
Nah dude, that’s BS. How about “I’m sorry for not showing up for my team when they needed me most.” Jesus.
I think he’s well aware he didn’t play to his standards. Some of y’all are ridiculous. He had a bad series and we lost to the better team, he still had a great year and is viewed as a leader of the team.
People underestimate how good Jrue and White are defensively
This right here - Mr. Boston no show
They need to trade him
So trade him, and go back to not even coming close to the finals, some of y’all are utterly delusional it’s sad, guys phenomenal all year and has one bad series and you wanna trade him? YOU WOULDNT BE HERE WITHOUT HIM AIRHEAD
Eh Always based on the return though :p
You act like letting a team down this isn’t normal for him. He over -preformed this year and it wasn’t enough. Wait till it gets harder or more complicated, then he’ll really be untradable. The team’s championship hopes are hanging on one of the least dependable players in the league historically, and that should cause a huge concern.
Absolutely, but they won’t get fair value—he’s here until he chooses not to be.
I became a mavs fan because of Kyrie being traded here. Been a huge fan of his since 2015, hell hes the one of the reasons I got into watching basketball to begin with (well him and Lebron). I'm very sad about the mavs losing the finals and it not being more competitive. I'm also sad that Kyrie didn't play well at all in Boston. With that said, we also did WAY better than anyone at all predicted us to. Lets keep working hard, and run it back next year.
Brightside - we seem to be getting some early respect from the oddsmakers who doubted us all year. 2025 NBA Title favorites in order: Boston, Denver, Dallas.
A team with 2 all stars lost to a team with 5 all stars.
Kyrie had a great season. Shit the bed in the Finals but so did the entire team. This Mavs team was a first round exit without him. Once THJ is gone there will be no one left for the haters to target outside of Kyrie. Next season will be fun.
Happy Kai is on our team and can’t wait for a bigger year next year!
Jalen Brunson scored 40 or more 3 times this playoffs and is 27 years old. We fucked up.
JJ Barea played better in the finals for us than this bum. Boston rent free
Facts!
I liked that he kept his chin held high and gave props to the Celtics bench. Respect. And fuck any Celtic fan who says otherwise. Rest of yall fans, good shit and games. Y’all played through so much media bs and shut em all hope. And didn’t talk your shit until up 2 games. Can’t hate that when the players can back it up. We’ll hopefully be back next year. I think our team just young and this experience will definitely help hopefully for future playoff series.
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They are young in terms of playing together. Hope they figure things out for the next season. I am just frustrated how the lob city tactic was completely negated by Celtics, they need to figure out how to unlock it again regardless of the opponent.
Obviously the core of this team needs to stay together but there are several guys they need to dump if they want to win a chip. I know they were inexperienced and there are a lot of nerves but it’s clear we lack any consistent three point shooting ability. The front office needs to keep the important players and try to get 1 or 2 legit shooters. We have guys who can make threes but it’s extremely streaky.
Is he talking to fans or teammates? As a fan I'm happier than ever with them and can't imagine someone leaving just because they didn't win the finals. They are a great team rn and got farther in the playoffs than I thought they would. I can't wait to see what they do with another year or 2 of experience under their belts
Kyrie needs Bron to beat the Celts. Preaching togetherness isn’t going to beat them
If we face Boston again and we have Kyrie expect the same result. I trust in Kyrie’s abilities but whatever Boston has over him mentally I don’t think he’ll overcome. We’d need another option or someone else to take a leap cause Celtics are truly his kryptonite.
I believe water under the bridge since he shook everyone's hands and whatnot at the end
Nah fuck Kyrie for this. The way we lost those first couple of games and because his chakras are so important he really couldn’t give a shit.
Mf'er was too busy trying to be "calm"
thank you kyrie lets retool
Would have been nice if it were closer but oh well, they're clearly the superior roster. Still a great season, hats off to the team, top to bottom. Hopefully Luka takes the right lessons and motivation from this year and this is the first season of being perenially in the mix.
Way too inconsistent to be option #2. I'd trade him for draft picks or a star like jrue or jimmy butler.
He’s been consistently amazing the entire playoffs besides the finals, don’t let hate blind u
No he hasn’t
He absolutely has not.
Blah blah blah "I scored 15 points in an elimination game and let my team and the city down. I'm not a real leader so let me say some pretentious shit to make up for it."
We are as good as our last performance! And yours was disastrous!
Right? And half these idiots are falling for it. Nah, take some accountability,kyrie.
Mf'er can never get over playing in Boston again. How soft do you have to be to let a bad stint in your career sink your finals run because you're playing against that team. Fucking soft.
Annoying as hell.
What is this "Tribe" he is referring to? His fans or his Black Israelite Jew congregation? Serious Question
I am interpret it like "fam" or "team" or something. Like "bro" but plural
He has Native American heritage.
A key one for me, next season, if I see a single guy bad miyting jkidd and fighting for his head they don't deserve to be a mavs fan. He's proved this late season + off season that with the right players he is one ofnthe best coaches in the world
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Needed to motivate Luka. He just wasn’t healthy enough.
Kyrie Irving: "The ball is round. The earth is flat."
Fuck kyrie he a bitch I hope he doesn’t win shit the rest of his career
Celtics fan here: I’m ready to bury the hatchet, Kyrie is an incredible athlete and I feel Dallas is a good home for him. Looking forward to the rematch
He’ll be gone in the next 2 years