Kyrie Irving has been dazzling everyone with his performances in the Western Conference Finals, playing a crucial role in closing out the Mavericks’ 116-107 win over the Timberwolves in Game 3. Armed with a 3-0 series lead, Kyrie is not willing to take a Finals appearance for granted until the Mavericks finish the job against Minnesota.
“It means absolutely nothing right now. That’s not even something I’m thinking about. Going into Game 4, it’s still 0-0, and that’s the type of motivation and mentality we had in that locker room. It’s not just me. We feel like the job isn’t finished.”
Kyrie Irving on being up 3-0:
“It means absolutely nothing right now. That’s not even something I’m thinking about. Going into Game 4, it’s still 0-0, and that’s the type of motivation and mentality we had in that locker room. It’s not just me. We feel like the job isn’t… pic.twitter.com/9FLroKOWJd
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) May 27, 2024
Kyrie Irving put up 33 points, the same as Luka Doncic, in a masterful display to lead the Mavericks to the win. Kyrie and Luka combined to score 21 points in the fourth quarter, more than the entire Timberwolves squad scored in the same period. Their clutch takeovers have become a nightly phenomenon and the best defense in the NBA this season has no answer to it.
Irving is ensuring the Mavericks keep the right energy heading into Game 4, as there are no guaranteed wins in the NBA. We might have never seen a 3-0 comeback in NBA playoff history before, but Dallas wouldn’t want to be the first team to be on the losing end of that.
They have to keep their foot on the pedal and complete the sweep. Doncic nearly missed Game 3 due to the multiple injuries he’s playing through and Dereck Lively II got hurt during this game as well after sustaining a blow to the back of the neck. They need all the rest they can get before a likely Finals matchup with the Celtics.
Luka Doncic Is Not Willing To Celebrate Just Yet
The sentiment Irving shared in his post-game interview was similar to what Luka Doncic said. Irving has been in multiple NBA Finals before and has a championship ring to his name as well, but Luka is on the precipice of his first Finals appearance. Despite the major career accomplishment within arms reach, Doncic is not overlooking Game 4 against the Wolves.
“I don’t know what to say, but it feels great. We gotta think about the next game. We gotta play with the same mentality. They’re not gonna go away. No way. We need to prepare for the next game and think about the next game.”
The Timberwolves are a well-coached and tenacious team. Many people had the Wolves winning this series but the Mavericks have thoroughly outplayed the Wolves in this matchup.
The Wolves’ depth has shown up when required, with Jaden McDaniels increasing his scoring output while Mike Conley continues to be a steadying force on offense. Karl-Anthony Towns is shooting under 30% through the first three games of this series while Anthony Edwards had a decent 26-point outing in Game 3, but was subpar for the first two games.
Doncic is averaging 32.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, against the Wolves while Irving is averaging 27.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. This star duo outweighs the Wolves to a degree they can’t match, which has led to their downfall in this series.
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