13v-0d. It's a pretty crazy stat, but it's the record of Kyrie Irving in the playoffs when his team has the possibility of winning a series. In fact, the Mavericks leader has never lost a game that allowed his team (Cleveland, Boston and Dallas) to qualify, or even win a title, like in 2016. It all started in 2015 with a sweep » against the Celtics, and it continued last night with this victory in Game 6 against the Clippers.
Suffice to say that Irving is “clutch”, and he proved it Friday night by saving the best for the second half. After a first half with 2 small points, on a simple lay-up on the counter-attack, the Dallas leader took the match into his own hands as soon as he returned from the locker room. While the spectators are still at the refreshment bar, he launches and punctuates an 8-0 in 90 seconds. His first-intention 3-pointer proves that he is confident, and what follows will confirm it with this 3-pointer from 9 meters to give him a 14-point lead.
The best move? Maybe this double cross on PJ Tucker before scoring a 3-pointer in the corner, with the foul. A 4-point action which will give the Mavericks a 23-point lead (105-82). Upon arrival, he scored 30 points, including 28 after the break, to go with his 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 interceptions and 2 blocks. 11 out of 19 on shots!
He found “brothers” in Dallas
“Frankly, in the first half, I was tired and even exhausted defending at such a high level” he explains about his contrasting performance. “At halftime, my teammates supported me. The score was 0-0: 52-52. Nothing was decided. We struck first, and the rest is history…”
While the Mavericks had not even reached the playoffs last season, here they are in the conference semi-finals. How does he explain this cannonball end to the season, after the arrivals of PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford?
“It’s a selfless group. Just look… We have guys who like to defend. We have guys who are aggressive on offense. We are a group that likes to do the little things for others. Even small victories, we celebrate them. They are my brothers, and we really push each other to do better. »
