“The public whistles at us and it’s deserved”. That’s basically what Jason Kidd said after tonight’s loss to the Hornets. For the Mavericks coach, they should even have whistled in the first quarter… For him, his players are not making the necessary efforts to win, and he regrets an obvious lack of motivation. However, there are the playoffs at the end, but the Mavericks are about to ruin everything with this 11th place.
Most worrying is that Luka Doncic lost his smile, and maybe even his basketball. He spends his time challenging arbitration decisions. He has always more or less done it, but now it’s systematic! For him, frustration has taken precedence over the rest, and it doesn’t just come from the athlete…
Luka Doncic is content to be on the pitch…
“I think you can see it on the pitch… Sometimes I feel like it’s not me… I’m just happy to be on the pitch. I used to have fun, smile on the court, but it got so frustrating for so many reasons, not just basketball.”
We will not know more… but it is clear that Doncic no longer takes pleasure in the field. He has become a caricature of himself to constantly moan about. And as he loses two, three seconds complaining, he does not come back in defense.
“You have to fight, you have to give your all” he continues. “That’s just it… We have to prove that we’re motivated and it starts with me. I have to behave as a leader, by being better, by giving my all. It depends on me. »
And what do you think Kyrie Irving, the sensational rookie of the last month? Since he arrived, the record has been largely negative: 7 wins in 19 matches. And when he is associated with Doncic, it gives three wins for seven losses. Unlike his coach, he does not understand the whistles of the public.
“If the fans want to take my place, let them do it”
” So what ? So what ? This is how I feel…” Irving replies about the audience reaction. “I lived in New York, I know what it’s like. We obviously want to play well, but there are only five people on the field who can play for the Mavericks. If the fans want to take my place, let them. It will take them years of work to get to this level. But we don’t necessarily have to focus on the whistles. We have to focus on our performance and on being supportive of each other. »
For Irving, the balance is too fragile in this formation. “We’re a very balanced group on days when I feel like we’re putting in the best effort. But on nights when the energy wanes, when we don’t start well, when the offense doesn’t work or the guys don’t get their shots right, there can be emotional tugs that can dictate the outcome of games. We are still discovering each other, getting used to our efforts, our attitudes and our temperament. And it’s for real. It’s human nature…Whether people believe it or not, but in basketball there’s a very fine line between winning games and getting everyone on the same page, and losing games. matches, that we tear each other apart and point the finger at others. »
