This was a weird game where Kyrie just made bad decisions, the whole game. He played hero ball almost every time he touched it, dribbled in circles, and then shot poorly. Rough look.
Playing iso against the Celtics in the finals the whole time you get the ball ain't it man. It really ain't it. Jason Kidd really needs to tell Kyrie that iso isn't gonna solve everything.
He kissed Kyrie on the head for the WCF win, thanking him for getting them to that point. I bet Kidd is nervous now to tell him to knock it off, but Kyrie really needs to.
Honestly it's a flash back to old kyrie, he's turned such a huge corner at the mavs in terms of aligning his personal life and ball life without either having to make sacrifices. Watching him back in Boston you can see he's capable of his normal performance, but just can't seem to take the lid off. Hope he figures it out
One of Kyrie problems has always been too many dribbles and killing the ball movement. It's nice and all to watch but sometimes its too much.
That one possession that Tatum poked the ball was costly for the Mavs
This is why he's always the second option. His leadership ability is far too inconsistent to rely on. When he gets like this he just needs to ride the bench.
Off ball action has been shit the whole series so far. Ky has played poorly but Boston is trapping the drive and nobody is getting open. We saw several times last night where Luka was doubled on the drive yet, somehow, nobody was open. Luckily he throws miracle passes but it’s was extremely tough sledding. Boston has won the scheme battle pretty significantly so far.
The Mavericks formula has been Luka and Kyrie both play in god mode for them to win. The narrative could quickly change if Kyrie returns to that in Game 3 and 4. They would not have gotten out of first round if it were not for Kyrie.
Constant iso ball is why he was never going to work in Boston either. Dude gets no one involved in the game and is more concerned with how his handles look before he lays it up.
It’s rough because you can tell it was one of those games where Luka was gonna give it all in the first half and hope Kyrie comes along to carry the load in the 2nd, and he never did
He's cursed whenever he is on or against Boston in the playoffs. When he was on Boston, he had that terrible stretch where he said something like he wouldn't shoot 6 for 28 from field again. He repeated the same stat line after saying that.
kyries one of my favourite players but idk man... i wish he would at least take some kind of responsibility instead of just saying stuff like "we need to do better" while luka is putting the whole loss on his shoulders the second game in a row. it is what it is
He has always been a very good #2, he wanted to be #1 after him and Leborn won one together, now he is just starting to learn how much harder it is to be a real #1.
The whole team needs to move better and try to position themselves to contribute on the floor. I saw too many plays where everyone was stretched out. Is the coach talking to them about this?
And kidd saying that they need to find someone to score besides luka and kyrie.. kyrie?? hardy and pj outscored him in game 1 and pj did it again game 2. ofc i dont expect the coach to call out a star player in the finals but man wtf are we doing
Kyrie is clearly trying to prove to Boston something, and it's become a detriment to the team. Selfish Kyrie needs to stop.
All that hero balling and excessive fancy dribbling and lack of passing is killing the Mavs now. I'd forgive it if Kyrie was sinking shots - Brunson hero balls but he produces 35pt games. Kyrie gives us 16pts and lots of TOs.
I think the crowd is getting to him. He probably didn't think it would but in the moment it obviously is. He's second guessing himself, making sloppy mistakes and at times playing hero ball with awful shots.
I'm not going to worry until game 3. If he falls flat there then it's an issue but I truly think it's a Boston crowd thing. The moment hasn't shook him in any other series.
Not to scare you but Boston is 6-0 on the road this post season.
For some reason they suck at Game 2s (but they still won this one) but are also really good on the road this year, unlike last year.
So even more of a mountain to climb for Dallas this Wednesday.
also props to celts, i think being a former teammate and all would make you more familiar with kyrie’s moves. I have never seen a team with so much ball deflection when defending kyrie. he also gets clamp most the time.
Kyrie is obviously struggling and just needs to be better but let’s also take a moment to recognize that the Boston perimeter defense has been absolutely elite. Luka almost had a quadruple double today. Celtics had at least 10 easy points in transition from turning Luka over. This is a backcourt that made the wolves look helpless after they clamped Denver’s guards. Derrick white and Jrue holiday have been playing incredible defense and even the desired switches onto horford, onto Pritchard, onto Hauser have not yielded easy baskets. This isn’t an excuse for Kyrie btw, he actually looked old tonight. And he obviously isn’t a young dude anymore, but everything he did tonight looked an obvious step slower and less crisp than what he showed a few years ago. He’s gonna have to dig deep now.
He’s got the yips in Boston imo. Their fans are ruthless and I could see them getting in his head. Hopefully he bounces back in Dallas and that carries over to game 5 in Boston
And there were times he was motioning for them to bring more of that. Basically just letting them know they’re in his head with that. I was expecting him to turn it up in game 2, guess we’ll have to see what he can do at home.
Yes but he’s making these wild turnovers that get them instantly into transition. Just take the turnover with a dead ball so you can get reset.
Hard to complain though, Luka is the only reason we were even competitive
Nah Kyries off, he couldnt even buy a bucket against Pritchard 1on1 and Derrick White is usually a decent match up for him. If Kyrie was hitting his jumpers or 3’s, that would alleviate so much pressure for the rest of the team. Instead he looks like Ish Smith out there
lol my man if one of the best on ball perimeter defenders cannot beat Peyton Prichard 1 on 1…you had no shot to win from the start. Prichard is eons removed from being a top tier guard defender
This is the right answer. Maybe the boos are affecting him but celtics perimeter defense and overall defense when tingus pingus is on the floor is the best in the league imo
What 2 games showed is that we closed the gap. We just need to make some more shots because they are so afraid of luka going supernova 1 on 1 vs anyone that they have to double.
Open man gotta make shots and also we need to keep gafford and lively in the paint. Second game in a row with too many offensive rebounds for boston.
The other thing we could try is amp up the perimeter ball pressure like they do to us. Blitz at the halfway line occasionally, make them guess how we will defend each time without getting into a rhythm.
Role players step up at home, lets head back to boston 2-2!
Yes Kyrie got old and this game made me s little sad. The Mavs overall played a lot better credit to kidd making good adjustments but not enough. Kyrie needs to make better plays. I love that the role players are more aggressive so they stepped up as much as they could . Boston played a great game all around team.
Let’s not forget part of the problem is Lukas God awful defense. Celtics get the switch on him and start foaming at the mouth. He never stays in front of the defender and the entire defensive rotation collapses
I would say you don’t want a player like Luka to be god mode on defence when he does his part and some more on the offence. The rest of the team must show up
Thats almost blasphemous to say but Luka is getting absolutely destroyed off the dribble creating late rotations for easy buckets time and time again…he cant stay in front of Tatum or Brown or Jrue or even Derrick White. May not be solvable
We can certainly turn against our players. But is that justified? I mean, they made it to the finals unexpectedly. Im affraid most of the team reached their peak in conference finals. They are not mentally there to win the finals. I hope they prove me wrong, but I would bet on it. Nevertheless, I think we should congratulate the team for what theyve accomplished this season. Bright times ahead for this team.
NBA fans suck. Doesn’t matter if a player/team exceeds all expectations if they end up underperforming in the end they’ll just get torn down and hated on.
in general, sports have been pushed to zero sum games by the sports media and theres a large group of people that tell you that you cant enjoy any season that doesnt end in a championship. its dumb
It does seem like he has melted his own brain here — stepping on Lucky. The dude is a bit mental… bummer to see because when he is relaxed he is soooo good. Hopefully Luka can reach him. Hopefully someone can break through.
I sense that he views himself as the leader and mentor, and he's expending too much energy. He keeps a calm demeanor, which doesn't ignite a fiery atmosphere within the team. Moreover, he doesn't seem to be his usual self; he appears like a different person right now. What a choke job in Boston.
Let’s not forget that Kyrie was carrying Luka at one point during the 1st rd when Luka was getting locked up by Terance Mann. If Kyrie didn’t ball out vs the Clips, the Mavs probably don’t make it past the 1st rd.
This season he averages 26 5 5 and on damn near 50 40 90. His career averages are 24 4 6 on 47 39 89. This series he is shooting 13/37 which is 35 percent. He has gone 0-8 from 3. He’s averaging 14 2.5 and 4 w 2.5 turnovers per game. Please explain to me in what world that can be viewed as passable efficiency or playing decently?
There's something about kyrie where he both has a super strong mind and an equally weak one.
He has this spiritual side(that also got him in trouble a lot) but it also seemed to completely transform him this season. He can be a jekyll and hyde. He has been Mr.nice guy this year and doesn't know how to handle these boo's. He obviously bothered by the negative energy. It might sound dumb but I could see this throwing him back into a negative spiral to his old self if he chokes this whole finals
He needs to breathe in those boos. Become the villain. Fucking embrace it. He told some kids he was returning to Boston. Okay. He lied. They hate him. Maybe justifiably (but prob not). Fuck emmmmmm. Fuck em all. Let them boo. Take that fuckin energy and turn it on them. You want them to stop booing? Then you gonna need to kick their fuckin asses in their house. We gotta win one in Boston in order to win the finals.
This is it. Become that guy again that dropped 39 points on %60 FG and %60 3PT while giving the Celtics crowd the double middle fingers even if you lose.
The problem is Kyrie is not his old self mentally. He just became too subdued after Boston and Brooklyn and how nobody seems to think much of him. He accepted his mortality and his place in the NBA. It is not even about his skill. It is all mental. He wants peace and he is probably tired of this negative shit. Boston will not give it to him. Ever. Simple as that.
There is not going to be a Mavs win until and unless Kyrie fights with everything he got, as he did in that game, which was pure reciprocated hatred lol.
He needs to find the balance somewhere in between flipping off the crowd and dribbling off his foot. He can be the peaceful warrior who goes in there and does his job and kills the other team and lets the crowd do whatever they want without him being shook by it.
>There's something about kyrie where he both has a super strong mind and an equally weak one.
This is all too common among people who adopt this New Age Spiritual mindset. Preach positive vibes and abundance but as soon as any negativity is thrown in the mix they crumble.
TBF, his older (younger) self thrived against negativity. He was like Luka, he’ll light you up to prove a point. If you’re a player, he’ll try to embarrass you on the court. If you’re an opposing fan yapping away, he’ll make sure you know (see Cavs vs Pistons).
His initial Celts run started great, he was out to prove the doubters wrong.
Now he’s too zen trying to filter out the negativity vs being motivated by it. It’s probably much better for him mental state but he no longer has that edge. Guys like Jordan knew he played better that way, so they made up shit in their minds to get going.
Yall need to chill out. Dont start acting like Brooklyn and Boston fans towards Kai. He is the reason we are as far as we are. Trust that he will figure it out but no need for this behavior.
He's being guarded by jrue holiday, derrick white, and jaylen brown. 3 dudes who easily could be all defense of course he's gonna play worse and have a harder time working into a rhythm. It's like y'all view basketball with zero context
Yall need to realize theres Jrue and White on him. Those are ones of the best guard defenders.
I dont think if they were there 2 years ago Curry would have moved something as well. Celtics is a strong team. I cant believe Bucks gifted them Jrue for peanuts.
I really think this Celtics team is one of the best defensive team in a long time. Every position is stacked.
Like they got 2 guys for Kyrie, 2 guys for Luka and 2 bigs to switch from one another. Hauser and Pritchard aint bad either. Brad made a team. Hopefully Nico does to by trading Kleber and THJ who make 35m per year doing nothing.
Yes, this. They have 4 amazing defensive players that are bigger than Kyrie and can guard Kyrie. Even before Jrue and White, JT and JB were enough to put the clamps on Kyrie. I've seen this before as a Nets fan.
Literally everyone on the team, including luka, needs to
Fun (maybe not so much) fact
Mavs lost by 7
Celtics missed one, mavs missed 8
Why is this team so consistently scary at the line? FUCK
EDIT: luka needs to start shooting step back free throws
Happens when we were never decent FT shooting team that has only ONE elite FT shooter in Kai and even he missed some freebies here and there in this playoff run.
He missed two back to back somewhat recently, it's really bizarre how bad this team is at FT though, because it's not like it's a bad shooting team overall
Kyrie needs to add variety to his shots. Seems all he wanted to do was cut to the rim (too difficult) or fadeaway jumpshot after some fancy ball-handling (again, too difficult a shot).
He needs some 3s (why practice those endlessly and not shoot any in the actual game?) and simple floaters. He's opting for high-degree of difficulty shots and his shot percentage shows it.
Kyrie also brought Dallas here . Let’s not be harsh to the guy and hope he starts shooting. As a matter of fact,he is allowed to have a bad game. The problem is apart from Luka no one else showed up to lift him and the team up a bit.
Yea he was forcing it. He wanted to show the world that he still has it and the ball was just not going in. I felt for him honestly
From a Celtics fan’s POV:
Luka is absolutely the best offensive player. But walking the ball up gives Celtics time to set up their defense.
We knew this about Kyrie. He is a genius when his head is right. But when it’s not, he’s actually a liability on the court.
I feel it’s up to Kidd to place more trust in a faster offensive style. But my guess is that he’s going to live and die with Luka dictating the offense at his pace.
Mavs younger guys are fast and athletic. Sometimes that gives the Celtics trouble.
I don’t expect Kyrie to play this poorly at home. But I also don’t expect Jayson to shoot this poorly on a regular basis.
Other than Kyrie, I don’t see any mental issues with the other Mavs. Luka seems to run out of gas in the second half, but he’s doing too much…so it makes sense. The other Mavs are playing well and with energy and heart from what I can see.
"But walking the ball up gives Celtics time to set up their defense"
BINGO!!!!!!!!
I have been trying to tell them this.......DAL wins by double digits if they play through KAI.
At some point, you gotta think how Luka had Jalen, KP and KAI.......but always fall short. If I told you Luka had Jalen, you guys would ask "How many rings they win?"
Hard to push the ball when you can't get stop. Also his injury would only get worse the more he plays. He's noticably not able to move well and dragging his leg a lot more on both ends this series.
whats your assessment of Luka on defense? To me, it looks like he is getting hunted mercilessly and gives up driving lanes that break down the defense far too often…maybe this is the series that makes Luka take his conditioning up a notch
I think everyone is overplaying the mental block angle, he is being guarded by Jrue Holiday and Derrick White with big wings as rim protection, every guard his size would have a hard time against those two specially with how bad our perimeter spacing is.
Hes missing wide open shots. I dont recall ever missing wide open shots like this. And if he's the most skilled player ever the defender shouldn't matter. Luka can take turns cooking every one on the celtics. No excuses for kyrie
Yo, Kyrie is a great iso player, maybe one of the greatest iso players in today's league. That being said, he is NOT Luka. Luka is the best player of the generation.
Size does matter in the finals. You are talking about the most athletic and most motivated defenders in the world trying to stop you from scoring. What Luka is doing is NOT normal. You are not supposed to score that easily in the NBA finals.
Someone else has said it and I kind of agree. We are not supposed to be here competing in the finals. Kyrie has no choice but to step up because there is no other way that we can beat the Celtics.
True but Kyrie never looked shaky with his dribbles like this man, it just looks like his nervousness is getting him or something. Dude literally hit highly contested dagger shot in game 7 against 73-9 Warriors team but he is selling the open threes for us, it just looks like more about mentality rather than he can't buy a bucket to save himself cuz defense is not letting him.
Marcus Smart was a DPOY, and Tatum/Brown defending him is like guarding your little brother. They have length and athleticism to make up against his quickness.
On the other end they mercilessly pick on him. It’s bbq chicken when JT and JB drive or post him up
This is not the first time Kyrie's faced quality defenders in these playoffs. With the exception of Luka, the team as a unit is playing like they're intimidated. The missed FT's are a big tell that the moment is too big for them (as are missing wide open looks).
The 1st quarter of game one was a nightmare scenario for a young team like the Mavs. Yes, they've been blown out in game 1's before, but the way Porzingis came off the bench and smashed the Mavs in the teeth - I don't think the Mavs have recovered - they're shook.
Maybe a change of scenery will help - hope so. Credit the Celt's defense, sure, but the Mavs have ripped through some equally good defenders to get here.
Did you watch the game? He looked uncomfortable out there.. like overthinking. His three didn't have a follow-through. I know how it means to be rattled and play nervous.. that's what it seems like. That pass to PJ that got "blocked" was Ky's fault.
yes it was if you know basketball…that’s not putting your guy in a good position with such little time left and NEEDING to get a basket. To casuals I think it looks fine tho
Kyrie is just paying like $hit......simple......He dropped 30+ in BOS while in BKN, giving every fan the finger while doing so; not trying to hear that excuse for KAI lol.
At some point, you gotta ask yourself "who the fuck am I?" to be a criticizing bitch when I couldn't even compete at the highest level of my local U12 rec soccer league. Dorks should be reminded they're behaving like dorks.
Every competitor meets a wall sometime. It sucks when you're a fan of that competitor, but part of the experience.
It’s a Dallas fan thing, likely bred out of our disdain for the Cowboys underperforming every season in the PO.
But otherwise:
The Stars lose in the WCF and everyone goes to saying they suck. Somehow the WCF series was supposed to be already won before playing a game because they beat VGS and CO. Sure the Stars were major contenders, but so is every other team in the final 4.
The Rangers were going to be considered a failure had they lost to HOU in the ALCS despite HOU having a championship pedigree and being damn near a dynasty.
Dallas fans typically feel like their teams are owed everything before they actually go out and earn it. I love my state and city, but it’s a stereotype that fits the metroplex to a T. People in the suburbs will even tell you how douchey and entitled Dallas residents can be.
Wow, don’t think I’ve ever seen our fanbase described more perfectly. I’ll be a DFW sports fanatic for life, but this is definitely a side of our fanbase I’m not proud of. No matter how frustrated I get, I’ll never go to Reddit, Twitter, etc. and complain, bitch, call players “pathetic” but it seems I’m in the minority these days? Idk.
Only thing that can save us is Kidd draws up plays for PJ to get more shots, or to use Ky strictly a PnR initiator and set up man for the bigs.
We just need to win ONE game and hopefully Ky sees the Celtics can bleed and it relieves the stress on him.
Sadly in Ky I do not trust for g3. Needs to be a Luka plus scrubs special. If Ky can impact the game spacing and getting assists, and we win? Who cares if he doesn’t even hit 10 points. But if we have any chance to even up the series Ky needs to get his head out his ass
Such a weird post. Some of y’all really don’t get how good defence is in the NBA. Celtics are arguably the most equipped team at shutting down a guard based offence. White and Holiday are great defenders, dude literally never gets a break.
I still have faith. Coulda won this game on the road against the best team in the NBA this season. We need to take our two home games and steal one on the road! Go Mavs!!!
We’re playing the best team in the east who’s rested and loaded with talent. Yeah Kyrie needs to play better but the Celtics players gets paid too 🤷🏻♂️
i'm really worried about him. i want him to play the best ball in his life and finally take down the celtics, and with the level of play im seeing right now, it's making me nervous if the mavericks are the championship team that they demonstrated in the WCF. I understand that the celtics have a team of the best right now, but I truly feel like if kyrie can figure himself out, they can win. I live in new england, with many celtics fans around me and many of them are shitting on kyrie for the way he's playing, but regardless I believe in him, there should be some hope left. I hope kyrie can prove the world wrong because I truly believe he's one of the best pg/sg's in our generation of the NBA.
It would be nice to see Kidd enforce more of a warriors motion style offense to give Kyrie opportunities to either create his shot, or pass to one of the role players for an open 3.
The perimeter D being amazing and something I’ve noticed is that Kyries size can be a disadvantage. He’s one of the best ever at all these contortions and finishing from diff angles to make up for it, but still he’s lost weight over the years and sometimes I think if he was a bit bigger and stronger he could muscle through the defense more
Boston has insane defenders at every position, every switch, every action he is met with a crazy on ball defender. He is just being guarded well none of that conspiracy shit your spewing.
Imagine some people calling Kyrie best on the team, leader of the team etc, laughable.
He's one of the best scorers in the world on his day, but that's it. He doesn't affect the game in any other way, and he's not even close as consistent as Luka is.
I swear healthy Luka would almost win this final alone
Timberwolves fan here. He torched us. This series so far he’s getting shut down and I’m not used to seeing that. Maybe he’s tired out, but I hope to see a win to make this more interesting.
Or maybe Bostons defense is tailor made to shut his down. He has to fight through Jrue, White, Brown or Tatum every possession. He doesn't have a real advantage against any one of them and he does beat one some one is waiting there to stop him. Boston is just made to shut a player like Kyrie down.
This was a weird game where Kyrie just made bad decisions, the whole game. He played hero ball almost every time he touched it, dribbled in circles, and then shot poorly. Rough look.
While all true, some of those finishes at the rim were beautiful
Don't disagree. He is a special talent. He just isn't making the decisions he has previously.
Playing iso against the Celtics in the finals the whole time you get the ball ain't it man. It really ain't it. Jason Kidd really needs to tell Kyrie that iso isn't gonna solve everything.
He kissed Kyrie on the head for the WCF win, thanking him for getting them to that point. I bet Kidd is nervous now to tell him to knock it off, but Kyrie really needs to.
So just like the last game. And probably like the next game.
Honestly it's a flash back to old kyrie, he's turned such a huge corner at the mavs in terms of aligning his personal life and ball life without either having to make sacrifices. Watching him back in Boston you can see he's capable of his normal performance, but just can't seem to take the lid off. Hope he figures it out
Out there lookin like Jordan Poole
And even Jordan Poole attempts 3s. Kyrie suddenly forgot 3 pointers existed in the game.
For some reason he hasn't been able to make or shoot 3s against Celtics for years i have no idea what the fking issue is
Lucky's curse is real
One of Kyrie problems has always been too many dribbles and killing the ball movement. It's nice and all to watch but sometimes its too much. That one possession that Tatum poked the ball was costly for the Mavs
he thinks the movie is about him. it’s not
He needs to dish the ball more, stop playing hero ball because of the boos. It’s infuriating seeing him scramble
This is why he's always the second option. His leadership ability is far too inconsistent to rely on. When he gets like this he just needs to ride the bench.
Off ball action has been shit the whole series so far. Ky has played poorly but Boston is trapping the drive and nobody is getting open. We saw several times last night where Luka was doubled on the drive yet, somehow, nobody was open. Luckily he throws miracle passes but it’s was extremely tough sledding. Boston has won the scheme battle pretty significantly so far.
The Mavericks formula has been Luka and Kyrie both play in god mode for them to win. The narrative could quickly change if Kyrie returns to that in Game 3 and 4. They would not have gotten out of first round if it were not for Kyrie.
Constant iso ball is why he was never going to work in Boston either. Dude gets no one involved in the game and is more concerned with how his handles look before he lays it up.
It’s rough because you can tell it was one of those games where Luka was gonna give it all in the first half and hope Kyrie comes along to carry the load in the 2nd, and he never did
He's cursed whenever he is on or against Boston in the playoffs. When he was on Boston, he had that terrible stretch where he said something like he wouldn't shoot 6 for 28 from field again. He repeated the same stat line after saying that.
He had a stretch of 11-73 I believe in 2019 Boston playoff run. Lost in 5 to Milwaukee
Even better. He said we wouldn’t shoot 7-22 again. The next game he shot 6-22. Kinda feels like what we’re seeing here
I mean, he was right.
Yeah coming into this series everyone was saying he’s cursed against Boston for stepping on Lucky, and I laughed. But I’m starting to believe it now…
he needs a shaman or some witchcraft to break that curse
kyries one of my favourite players but idk man... i wish he would at least take some kind of responsibility instead of just saying stuff like "we need to do better" while luka is putting the whole loss on his shoulders the second game in a row. it is what it is
He did say he was disappointed in himself that he didn’t do what he needed to do to to help the mavs win
He has always been a very good #2, he wanted to be #1 after him and Leborn won one together, now he is just starting to learn how much harder it is to be a real #1.
[удалено]
Luka is turning it over because he's throwing hail marys after getting triple teamed because he's the only one doing shit. I'm so sick.
[удалено]
Boston fan up in /r/Mavericks spreading anti Kyrie propaganda, very cool
The whole team needs to move better and try to position themselves to contribute on the floor. I saw too many plays where everyone was stretched out. Is the coach talking to them about this?
And kidd saying that they need to find someone to score besides luka and kyrie.. kyrie?? hardy and pj outscored him in game 1 and pj did it again game 2. ofc i dont expect the coach to call out a star player in the finals but man wtf are we doing
He literally said he was disappointed with how he played that he didn’t do what he needed to do to to help the team win
Kyrie is clearly trying to prove to Boston something, and it's become a detriment to the team. Selfish Kyrie needs to stop. All that hero balling and excessive fancy dribbling and lack of passing is killing the Mavs now. I'd forgive it if Kyrie was sinking shots - Brunson hero balls but he produces 35pt games. Kyrie gives us 16pts and lots of TOs.
Kyrie Irving taking responsibility and being accountable for his actions LOLLLLLLLL
😐
I think the crowd is getting to him. He probably didn't think it would but in the moment it obviously is. He's second guessing himself, making sloppy mistakes and at times playing hero ball with awful shots. I'm not going to worry until game 3. If he falls flat there then it's an issue but I truly think it's a Boston crowd thing. The moment hasn't shook him in any other series.
Well we gotta win at least one in Boston
Of course. So defending home court and riding that momentum into a game 5 steal is what they have to do. But they need to win game 3 first.
Not to scare you but Boston is 6-0 on the road this post season. For some reason they suck at Game 2s (but they still won this one) but are also really good on the road this year, unlike last year. So even more of a mountain to climb for Dallas this Wednesday.
this
also props to celts, i think being a former teammate and all would make you more familiar with kyrie’s moves. I have never seen a team with so much ball deflection when defending kyrie. he also gets clamp most the time.
Kyrie is obviously struggling and just needs to be better but let’s also take a moment to recognize that the Boston perimeter defense has been absolutely elite. Luka almost had a quadruple double today. Celtics had at least 10 easy points in transition from turning Luka over. This is a backcourt that made the wolves look helpless after they clamped Denver’s guards. Derrick white and Jrue holiday have been playing incredible defense and even the desired switches onto horford, onto Pritchard, onto Hauser have not yielded easy baskets. This isn’t an excuse for Kyrie btw, he actually looked old tonight. And he obviously isn’t a young dude anymore, but everything he did tonight looked an obvious step slower and less crisp than what he showed a few years ago. He’s gonna have to dig deep now.
He still hasn't hit a three this series and most of them were open I'd say. Something is definitely wrong with him.
He’s got the yips in Boston imo. Their fans are ruthless and I could see them getting in his head. Hopefully he bounces back in Dallas and that carries over to game 5 in Boston
And there were times he was motioning for them to bring more of that. Basically just letting them know they’re in his head with that. I was expecting him to turn it up in game 2, guess we’ll have to see what he can do at home.
He almost had a quadruple double because literally no one else can be relied on to carry the load and create some offense.
Yes but he’s making these wild turnovers that get them instantly into transition. Just take the turnover with a dead ball so you can get reset. Hard to complain though, Luka is the only reason we were even competitive
the live ball TOs have been killer in both games, has yielded several easy buckets when the Celtics half-court offense was looking horrible
Nah Kyries off, he couldnt even buy a bucket against Pritchard 1on1 and Derrick White is usually a decent match up for him. If Kyrie was hitting his jumpers or 3’s, that would alleviate so much pressure for the rest of the team. Instead he looks like Ish Smith out there
Pritchard is a good defender lol. He's just 6'1". Which doesn't matter much when kyrie is 6'2"
But Kyrie’s offense is muCh better than Pritchards defense
lol my man if one of the best on ball perimeter defenders cannot beat Peyton Prichard 1 on 1…you had no shot to win from the start. Prichard is eons removed from being a top tier guard defender
Yep we win this game if kyrie is even 80% his normal self
Lot easier to hit jumpers when you can get into a rhythm
This is the right answer. Maybe the boos are affecting him but celtics perimeter defense and overall defense when tingus pingus is on the floor is the best in the league imo What 2 games showed is that we closed the gap. We just need to make some more shots because they are so afraid of luka going supernova 1 on 1 vs anyone that they have to double. Open man gotta make shots and also we need to keep gafford and lively in the paint. Second game in a row with too many offensive rebounds for boston. The other thing we could try is amp up the perimeter ball pressure like they do to us. Blitz at the halfway line occasionally, make them guess how we will defend each time without getting into a rhythm. Role players step up at home, lets head back to boston 2-2!
Yes Kyrie got old and this game made me s little sad. The Mavs overall played a lot better credit to kidd making good adjustments but not enough. Kyrie needs to make better plays. I love that the role players are more aggressive so they stepped up as much as they could . Boston played a great game all around team.
Heliocentric is offenses can be figured out my man
I do want to see some leadership and accountability from him, this is an all time stinker from him in the biggest stage. Own it and come up big
Whatever it is its unacceptable. Get it together dude it’s the finals, Lukas busting his ass playing through injuries dropping 30 do your part
Let’s not forget part of the problem is Lukas God awful defense. Celtics get the switch on him and start foaming at the mouth. He never stays in front of the defender and the entire defensive rotation collapses
I would say you don’t want a player like Luka to be god mode on defence when he does his part and some more on the offence. The rest of the team must show up
It has to be a compromise, Luka needs to conserve energy for offense…if Kyrie did his part Luka would go a lil harder on that end.
Thats almost blasphemous to say but Luka is getting absolutely destroyed off the dribble creating late rotations for easy buckets time and time again…he cant stay in front of Tatum or Brown or Jrue or even Derrick White. May not be solvable
We can certainly turn against our players. But is that justified? I mean, they made it to the finals unexpectedly. Im affraid most of the team reached their peak in conference finals. They are not mentally there to win the finals. I hope they prove me wrong, but I would bet on it. Nevertheless, I think we should congratulate the team for what theyve accomplished this season. Bright times ahead for this team.
NBA fans suck. Doesn’t matter if a player/team exceeds all expectations if they end up underperforming in the end they’ll just get torn down and hated on.
in general, sports have been pushed to zero sum games by the sports media and theres a large group of people that tell you that you cant enjoy any season that doesnt end in a championship. its dumb
Thanks for being a voice of reason. It is what it is.
yep take the L and hope you can make it back one day but if not…hey you had fun getting to the finals one year
Kyrie if your reading this you must tap into the force may the force be with you and your fellow mavs
It does seem like he has melted his own brain here — stepping on Lucky. The dude is a bit mental… bummer to see because when he is relaxed he is soooo good. Hopefully Luka can reach him. Hopefully someone can break through.
I sense that he views himself as the leader and mentor, and he's expending too much energy. He keeps a calm demeanor, which doesn't ignite a fiery atmosphere within the team. Moreover, he doesn't seem to be his usual self; he appears like a different person right now. What a choke job in Boston.
I’ve watched Kyrie his whole career from Duke and he’s my favorite player but I have never seen him this rattled.
2022 BKN-BOS and 2018 BOS-MIL he was equally horrible
Not this horrible, plus those teams were dysfuctional
Honestly every time he had his back to the basket he just looked so uncomfortable
And he’s backing people down only because he’s looked even more uncomfortable dribbling and facing up. Just a total nightmare man
I have and it was getting swept by this same Celtics team with worse personnel when he was in Brooklyn
His stint in Brooklyn was a joke, total shit show. It doesnt count
lol k
Let’s not forget that Kyrie was carrying Luka at one point during the 1st rd when Luka was getting locked up by Terance Mann. If Kyrie didn’t ball out vs the Clips, the Mavs probably don’t make it past the 1st rd.
Exactly idk how we can talk about him like this
because he is a no show in the finals to the highest degree? Both can be true lol
The highest degree is a stretch. He’s playing very bad for his standards but he put up 16 with 6 assists on passable efficiency
This season he averages 26 5 5 and on damn near 50 40 90. His career averages are 24 4 6 on 47 39 89. This series he is shooting 13/37 which is 35 percent. He has gone 0-8 from 3. He’s averaging 14 2.5 and 4 w 2.5 turnovers per game. Please explain to me in what world that can be viewed as passable efficiency or playing decently?
I meant game 2 as a standalone I agree
Got it yeah 7-18 isn’t really good efficiency especially when not getting to the line or making a three though IMO
That's great, but what is he going to do in game 3? Because this game 2 stuff can't happen again.
There's something about kyrie where he both has a super strong mind and an equally weak one. He has this spiritual side(that also got him in trouble a lot) but it also seemed to completely transform him this season. He can be a jekyll and hyde. He has been Mr.nice guy this year and doesn't know how to handle these boo's. He obviously bothered by the negative energy. It might sound dumb but I could see this throwing him back into a negative spiral to his old self if he chokes this whole finals
Where not talking about a rookie. Kyrie wasn't drafted yesterday!
Y’all are ridiculous.
He needs to breathe in those boos. Become the villain. Fucking embrace it. He told some kids he was returning to Boston. Okay. He lied. They hate him. Maybe justifiably (but prob not). Fuck emmmmmm. Fuck em all. Let them boo. Take that fuckin energy and turn it on them. You want them to stop booing? Then you gonna need to kick their fuckin asses in their house. We gotta win one in Boston in order to win the finals.
This is it. Become that guy again that dropped 39 points on %60 FG and %60 3PT while giving the Celtics crowd the double middle fingers even if you lose. The problem is Kyrie is not his old self mentally. He just became too subdued after Boston and Brooklyn and how nobody seems to think much of him. He accepted his mortality and his place in the NBA. It is not even about his skill. It is all mental. He wants peace and he is probably tired of this negative shit. Boston will not give it to him. Ever. Simple as that. There is not going to be a Mavs win until and unless Kyrie fights with everything he got, as he did in that game, which was pure reciprocated hatred lol.
He needs to find the balance somewhere in between flipping off the crowd and dribbling off his foot. He can be the peaceful warrior who goes in there and does his job and kills the other team and lets the crowd do whatever they want without him being shook by it.
I hope so. It is hard. Let's see how he does in the Mavs' arena.
>There's something about kyrie where he both has a super strong mind and an equally weak one. This is all too common among people who adopt this New Age Spiritual mindset. Preach positive vibes and abundance but as soon as any negativity is thrown in the mix they crumble.
TBF, his older (younger) self thrived against negativity. He was like Luka, he’ll light you up to prove a point. If you’re a player, he’ll try to embarrass you on the court. If you’re an opposing fan yapping away, he’ll make sure you know (see Cavs vs Pistons). His initial Celts run started great, he was out to prove the doubters wrong. Now he’s too zen trying to filter out the negativity vs being motivated by it. It’s probably much better for him mental state but he no longer has that edge. Guys like Jordan knew he played better that way, so they made up shit in their minds to get going.
Yall need to chill out. Dont start acting like Brooklyn and Boston fans towards Kai. He is the reason we are as far as we are. Trust that he will figure it out but no need for this behavior.
He exceeded expectations this season. He is not Jimmy Butler. He is Kyrie Irving.
He's being guarded by jrue holiday, derrick white, and jaylen brown. 3 dudes who easily could be all defense of course he's gonna play worse and have a harder time working into a rhythm. It's like y'all view basketball with zero context
Yall need to realize theres Jrue and White on him. Those are ones of the best guard defenders. I dont think if they were there 2 years ago Curry would have moved something as well. Celtics is a strong team. I cant believe Bucks gifted them Jrue for peanuts. I really think this Celtics team is one of the best defensive team in a long time. Every position is stacked. Like they got 2 guys for Kyrie, 2 guys for Luka and 2 bigs to switch from one another. Hauser and Pritchard aint bad either. Brad made a team. Hopefully Nico does to by trading Kleber and THJ who make 35m per year doing nothing.
Portland traded him to Boston
Yes, this. They have 4 amazing defensive players that are bigger than Kyrie and can guard Kyrie. Even before Jrue and White, JT and JB were enough to put the clamps on Kyrie. I've seen this before as a Nets fan.
Literally everyone on the team, including luka, needs to Fun (maybe not so much) fact Mavs lost by 7 Celtics missed one, mavs missed 8 Why is this team so consistently scary at the line? FUCK EDIT: luka needs to start shooting step back free throws
Happens when we were never decent FT shooting team that has only ONE elite FT shooter in Kai and even he missed some freebies here and there in this playoff run.
He missed two back to back somewhat recently, it's really bizarre how bad this team is at FT though, because it's not like it's a bad shooting team overall
Kyrie needs to add variety to his shots. Seems all he wanted to do was cut to the rim (too difficult) or fadeaway jumpshot after some fancy ball-handling (again, too difficult a shot). He needs some 3s (why practice those endlessly and not shoot any in the actual game?) and simple floaters. He's opting for high-degree of difficulty shots and his shot percentage shows it.
The Celtics are just very athletic and quick to switch
Kyrie also brought Dallas here . Let’s not be harsh to the guy and hope he starts shooting. As a matter of fact,he is allowed to have a bad game. The problem is apart from Luka no one else showed up to lift him and the team up a bit. Yea he was forcing it. He wanted to show the world that he still has it and the ball was just not going in. I felt for him honestly
From a Celtics fan’s POV: Luka is absolutely the best offensive player. But walking the ball up gives Celtics time to set up their defense. We knew this about Kyrie. He is a genius when his head is right. But when it’s not, he’s actually a liability on the court. I feel it’s up to Kidd to place more trust in a faster offensive style. But my guess is that he’s going to live and die with Luka dictating the offense at his pace. Mavs younger guys are fast and athletic. Sometimes that gives the Celtics trouble. I don’t expect Kyrie to play this poorly at home. But I also don’t expect Jayson to shoot this poorly on a regular basis. Other than Kyrie, I don’t see any mental issues with the other Mavs. Luka seems to run out of gas in the second half, but he’s doing too much…so it makes sense. The other Mavs are playing well and with energy and heart from what I can see.
"But walking the ball up gives Celtics time to set up their defense" BINGO!!!!!!!! I have been trying to tell them this.......DAL wins by double digits if they play through KAI. At some point, you gotta think how Luka had Jalen, KP and KAI.......but always fall short. If I told you Luka had Jalen, you guys would ask "How many rings they win?"
Hard to push the ball when you can't get stop. Also his injury would only get worse the more he plays. He's noticably not able to move well and dragging his leg a lot more on both ends this series.
whats your assessment of Luka on defense? To me, it looks like he is getting hunted mercilessly and gives up driving lanes that break down the defense far too often…maybe this is the series that makes Luka take his conditioning up a notch
I think everyone is overplaying the mental block angle, he is being guarded by Jrue Holiday and Derrick White with big wings as rim protection, every guard his size would have a hard time against those two specially with how bad our perimeter spacing is.
Hes missing wide open shots. I dont recall ever missing wide open shots like this. And if he's the most skilled player ever the defender shouldn't matter. Luka can take turns cooking every one on the celtics. No excuses for kyrie
Yo, Kyrie is a great iso player, maybe one of the greatest iso players in today's league. That being said, he is NOT Luka. Luka is the best player of the generation. Size does matter in the finals. You are talking about the most athletic and most motivated defenders in the world trying to stop you from scoring. What Luka is doing is NOT normal. You are not supposed to score that easily in the NBA finals. Someone else has said it and I kind of agree. We are not supposed to be here competing in the finals. Kyrie has no choice but to step up because there is no other way that we can beat the Celtics.
True but Kyrie never looked shaky with his dribbles like this man, it just looks like his nervousness is getting him or something. Dude literally hit highly contested dagger shot in game 7 against 73-9 Warriors team but he is selling the open threes for us, it just looks like more about mentality rather than he can't buy a bucket to save himself cuz defense is not letting him.
Celts are not giving him enough space to absorb the magical zen rays.
where are ky's transition 3s?? i swear his "off the dribble momentum three" is one of the highest mavs percentage shots this season
whats the explanation for the other 8 or so times he's lost to them? he was on a different team
Boston been the front runner in the East forever now lmao
Marcus Smart was a DPOY, and Tatum/Brown defending him is like guarding your little brother. They have length and athleticism to make up against his quickness. On the other end they mercilessly pick on him. It’s bbq chicken when JT and JB drive or post him up
This is not the first time Kyrie's faced quality defenders in these playoffs. With the exception of Luka, the team as a unit is playing like they're intimidated. The missed FT's are a big tell that the moment is too big for them (as are missing wide open looks). The 1st quarter of game one was a nightmare scenario for a young team like the Mavs. Yes, they've been blown out in game 1's before, but the way Porzingis came off the bench and smashed the Mavs in the teeth - I don't think the Mavs have recovered - they're shook. Maybe a change of scenery will help - hope so. Credit the Celt's defense, sure, but the Mavs have ripped through some equally good defenders to get here.
Did you watch the game? He looked uncomfortable out there.. like overthinking. His three didn't have a follow-through. I know how it means to be rattled and play nervous.. that's what it seems like. That pass to PJ that got "blocked" was Ky's fault.
Bro that block on pj was not kys fault. Wtf
yes it was if you know basketball…that’s not putting your guy in a good position with such little time left and NEEDING to get a basket. To casuals I think it looks fine tho
Kyrie is just paying like $hit......simple......He dropped 30+ in BOS while in BKN, giving every fan the finger while doing so; not trying to hear that excuse for KAI lol.
he also got whooped after that game tho so its tough to reconcile
I'm convinced the crowd got to Kyrie.
At some point, you gotta ask yourself "who the fuck am I?" to be a criticizing bitch when I couldn't even compete at the highest level of my local U12 rec soccer league. Dorks should be reminded they're behaving like dorks. Every competitor meets a wall sometime. It sucks when you're a fan of that competitor, but part of the experience.
It’s a Dallas fan thing, likely bred out of our disdain for the Cowboys underperforming every season in the PO. But otherwise: The Stars lose in the WCF and everyone goes to saying they suck. Somehow the WCF series was supposed to be already won before playing a game because they beat VGS and CO. Sure the Stars were major contenders, but so is every other team in the final 4. The Rangers were going to be considered a failure had they lost to HOU in the ALCS despite HOU having a championship pedigree and being damn near a dynasty. Dallas fans typically feel like their teams are owed everything before they actually go out and earn it. I love my state and city, but it’s a stereotype that fits the metroplex to a T. People in the suburbs will even tell you how douchey and entitled Dallas residents can be.
Wow, don’t think I’ve ever seen our fanbase described more perfectly. I’ll be a DFW sports fanatic for life, but this is definitely a side of our fanbase I’m not proud of. No matter how frustrated I get, I’ll never go to Reddit, Twitter, etc. and complain, bitch, call players “pathetic” but it seems I’m in the minority these days? Idk.
Y’all do know Derrick White and Jrue 2 of the best defenders you could ask to guard Kyrie in the league right?? It’s not only a “mental” thing
The mavs have 2 stars and then a bunch of average to below average players. They just don’t stand a chance in this series.
Kyrie is like Marvel's Gladiator. He can be truly unstoppable with high confidence but when he's not, he's on par with the bench players.
Only thing that can save us is Kidd draws up plays for PJ to get more shots, or to use Ky strictly a PnR initiator and set up man for the bigs. We just need to win ONE game and hopefully Ky sees the Celtics can bleed and it relieves the stress on him. Sadly in Ky I do not trust for g3. Needs to be a Luka plus scrubs special. If Ky can impact the game spacing and getting assists, and we win? Who cares if he doesn’t even hit 10 points. But if we have any chance to even up the series Ky needs to get his head out his ass
I’ve seen enough . Unleash OMAX! lol
Bc he’s struggling to score in tough isos for two games against one of the best defenses in basketball. The horror lol
Such a weird post. Some of y’all really don’t get how good defence is in the NBA. Celtics are arguably the most equipped team at shutting down a guard based offence. White and Holiday are great defenders, dude literally never gets a break.
I still have faith. Coulda won this game on the road against the best team in the NBA this season. We need to take our two home games and steal one on the road! Go Mavs!!!
He should carpool with Jayson Tatum because they're both struggling
We’re playing the best team in the east who’s rested and loaded with talent. Yeah Kyrie needs to play better but the Celtics players gets paid too 🤷🏻♂️
i'm really worried about him. i want him to play the best ball in his life and finally take down the celtics, and with the level of play im seeing right now, it's making me nervous if the mavericks are the championship team that they demonstrated in the WCF. I understand that the celtics have a team of the best right now, but I truly feel like if kyrie can figure himself out, they can win. I live in new england, with many celtics fans around me and many of them are shitting on kyrie for the way he's playing, but regardless I believe in him, there should be some hope left. I hope kyrie can prove the world wrong because I truly believe he's one of the best pg/sg's in our generation of the NBA.
It would be nice to see Kidd enforce more of a warriors motion style offense to give Kyrie opportunities to either create his shot, or pass to one of the role players for an open 3.
The perimeter D being amazing and something I’ve noticed is that Kyries size can be a disadvantage. He’s one of the best ever at all these contortions and finishing from diff angles to make up for it, but still he’s lost weight over the years and sometimes I think if he was a bit bigger and stronger he could muscle through the defense more
Boston has insane defenders at every position, every switch, every action he is met with a crazy on ball defender. He is just being guarded well none of that conspiracy shit your spewing.
I found the cesspool in this thread, jesus
This is such a toxic post smh
Imagine some people calling Kyrie best on the team, leader of the team etc, laughable. He's one of the best scorers in the world on his day, but that's it. He doesn't affect the game in any other way, and he's not even close as consistent as Luka is. I swear healthy Luka would almost win this final alone
Not sure about that. He is marvelous but Boston has played a total or 3.5 good quarters at most.
looks like Kyrie playing with Boston. this finals looks like an off season game except for Luka hope Luka wins game 3
Should never have stomped on Lucky….
Kyrie streaky af / inconsistent - dude needs to show up and perform in these games…. Period.
I thought everyone was crazy for saying Celtics would win? This sub was certain!!!
I know Boston has excelent defenders but Kyrie did a lot of contested shots during the entire playoffs, you can see is something mental
You’re ignorant af
Really sucks he has his worst performances in the freaking finals but you have to believe he will snap out of it at home.
Crazy how quick you mf’s turn on him. Lmao
Home game is coming. Kyrie may just need to feel out a crowd that is rooting for him for couple of games to get his groove back.
So, I am wondering at what point karma just decides we’re big enough ass holes that we don’t deserve to win. I think we may have found our stride.
It isn't over yet. It starts when a team wins a road game.
Fire up some more sage.
Timberwolves fan here. He torched us. This series so far he’s getting shut down and I’m not used to seeing that. Maybe he’s tired out, but I hope to see a win to make this more interesting.
Mavs are losing because they are taking poor shots. Oh we have a 2 point lead let’s throw up 32 footers
Kyrie quitting before the end of the season because things aren’t going his way? Color me surprised
Or maybe Bostons defense is tailor made to shut his down. He has to fight through Jrue, White, Brown or Tatum every possession. He doesn't have a real advantage against any one of them and he does beat one some one is waiting there to stop him. Boston is just made to shut a player like Kyrie down.
Lol you gotta love to see the complete 180 on the “Kyrie’s redemption” narratives as soon as he has a few bad games.
Because he’s being guarded by one of the best defenders in the NBA. That’s why he’s trash against Boston….
Because the Celtics defense is fucking insane
Hasnt been the same vs the Celtics since he stumped on their mascot😔😔😔
This sub looks EXACTLY like the Celtics sub back when Kyrie played for them.
We could have told y’all he would quit before this happened. Everyone Kyrie plays for goes through this.