The Dallas Mavericks returned to the court on February 23 when they hosted the San Antonio Spurs. Dallas was able to handedly take of the Spurs, earning Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic their first win as Mavericks teammates.
The star pairing combined to score 51 points on Thursday. Irving scored 23 of them, dishing out 6 assists as well.
After coaching his team to a blowout 142-116 victory, head coach Jason Kidd praised Irving when he spoke to reporters, explaining his new star’s ability to create opportunities without even taking a dribble.
“He’s a student of the game. He’s fundamentally sound, understands how to use the pivot, understands how to create space without the dribble, and he’s the best dribbler in the league,” Kidd said via Grant Afseth. “So, to be able to create space [with triple-threat] in small spaces, he’s unstoppable.”
I asked Jason Kidd about Kyrie Irving’s use of triple threat to create 3-point looks without dribbling and to gain general advantages to attack:
“He’s a student of the game. He’s fundamentally sound, understands how to use the pivot, understands how to create space without the…
Kidd, Kyrie, and the Mavs will have a few days to enjoy the win. They aren’t back in action until Sunday afternoon when they host the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mavs’ Justin Holiday Shares Thoughts on Jason Kidd
Kidd wasn’t just dishing out praise after Thursday’s win, he was receiving it too. The newest member of the Mavericks, Justin Holiday, made his debut with the team against San Antonio.
After suiting up for Dallas for the first time, he sat down with the press and cited Kidd as a large reason that he chose to join the team.
“It’s dope to play for him… he gets it, he understands it, he’s straightforward, honest, communicates, that’s how I like it. Just be real with me and we’re gonna be good.”
When asked about what Kidd’s asked of him since joining the Mavs, Holiday said his coach just told him to go out there and play like himself.
“Really just to go out there and just play. Just to be me. You know, when anyone just tells you to be you, that’s an easy job to do. Again, he understands the game so he knows that things aren’t gonna be perfect, but he understands that I play the game hard. So, he’s just like go out there an play hard. You know, I’m a vet, I’ve played long enough, I know how to do any and everything. He’s not worried about the mistakes that might happen here and there, he knows I’m going to get it.”
.@JustHolla7 on Jason Kidd being a reason he signed with Dallas:
“It’s dope to play for him… he gets it… he’s straightforward, honest, communicates… he knows that things aren’t gonna be perfect, but he understands that I play the game hard”
(Clip via @dallasmavs)
Holiday totaled 15 points in his first 21 minutes as a Mav. It was an efficient night for the veteran wing too, he knocked down 5 of his 6 attempts from 3-point land.
Mavs’ Theo Pinson Says Kyrie Irving is ‘Electric’
Praise has been flying around the Mavericks quite a bit lately. By all accounts the team appears to be gelling after the recent moves.
Another example of this came on the most recent episode of the Run Your Race Podcast. It was there that Mavs guard Theo Pinson detailed that it’s been “electric” playing alongside Irving, who joined the team earlier this month.
“It’s electric, bro,” Pinson exclaimed. “It’s electric, it’s a presence that we needed. It’s a presence that has built confidence team-wide. When you bring that type of talent onto your team, it’s scary [for the rest of the league].”
Pinson went on to add that Irving has had a great attitude since arriving in Dallas, saying that the star guard seems happy with the change in scenery.
“He just wants peace. … You can tell that he’s [just happy] and in a good place because of the fresh start.”
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Mavs’ Jason Kidd Drops Strong Statement on Kyrie Irving