The Dallas Mavericks suffered a surprising 109-97 loss to the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday. Kyrie Irving was asked about what were some of the positives to come out of the game, and while he felt there were some, he isn't sure the Mavericks are the favorites in this series.
"Going into the second half, I think we really challenged them," Irving said. "I mean, we outscored them in the second half. We got stops and also some tendencies we saw from guys on their team that they were really going opposite and really challenging us to guard their different looks. The first half, I think they had a few plays that we just weren't prepared for and we got to take that accountability."
"It's a war out there in the playoffs, metaphorically speaking, of course," Irving stated. "So, we got to enjoy it and have fun but at the same time, bring it to these guys. Going against some Hall of Famers, so they're not going to make it easy. I don't even know if we're the favorite in this series, so we just got to really pay attention to what we can control."
(starts at 6:21 mark):
It was rather odd of Irving to state that he wasn't sure the Mavericks were the favorites in this series. Ever since it emerged that Leonard might miss some games, the Mavericks were viewed as the favorites. It was what made what happened in Game 1 such a shock.
The Clippers were up by as many as 29 points at one stage and led 56-30 at the half after limiting the Mavericks to just eight points in the second quarter. They then kept their opponents at arm's length the rest of the way to come away with a comfortable win.
The fact that the Mavericks just weren't prepared for some of the things the Clippers threw at them is a bit of an indictment on their coaching staff. Still, though, a big chunk of the blame does fall on the players.
Irving himself struggled massively in the first half, recording 6 points on 1-6 shooting from the field. The 32-year-old had a great second half to finish with 31 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, but the damage was done by then.
Kyrie Irving Said The Mavericks Failed Their First Great Test
When talking about this loss, Irving also pointed to how the Mavericks had some young players who had never been at this stage before. He felt that as a group, Game 1 was a great test for them which they unfortunately failed. (starts at the 1:59 mark in the above video)
“This was a great first test for us and we obviously failed and we came out with a loss," Irving said. "But I think there are some things we can take into Game 2 as strengths that we can continue to push forward and utilize."
Well, there are a few more big tests coming and it will be interesting to see how the Mavericks perform in them. I would still have Dallas as the favorite if Leonard misses a bulk of this series, but if he does return by Game 2 or 3, and plays anywhere near his best, Los Angeles would have the edge.
More must-reads: