Spiraling Mavs booed by fans, ripped by coach after embarrassing loss
The Dallas Mavericks were booed in the third quarter Friday night. Their coach said the boos should have come earlier.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd compared his team's effort to dog excrement after Dallas dropped a game to the 24-51 Charlotte Hornets. Dallas was favored by 16 points, which makes this game the biggest upset of the NBA season. Charlotte has been eliminated from playoff contention, but even with nothing to play for, they ran out to a 13-point lead in the first quarter.
When the boos came, Dallas trailed by 18 points, and Charlotte stretched the lead to as many as 21. Even with their top three guards out, the Hornets outlasted the cold-shooting Mavericks, whose record dropped to 3-7 when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving play together.
After the game, Doncic admitted he was more frustrated than he'd ever been in his career. Not just with basketball, but with his private life. He told reporters, "I used to have really fun, smiling on court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball."
Also frustrating? Doncic's defensive effort against Charlotte.
While Kidd thought the boos were deserved, and Doncic found the fans' reaction frustrating, Irving had a different take: So what?
Dallas is now in danger of missing the playoffs, just 19 games after they made a win-now trade to acquire Irving. They're 7-12 since the trade, with both Doncic and Irving battling injuries.
The rest of the season is in peril, but the team's struggles might make Dallas reconsider their plans this summer. Irving is an unrestricted free agent, and while the Mavericks have the inside track to bring him back, they might have second thoughts about committing to the Luka-Kyrie duo long-term.
Everyone in Dallas is frustrated, except Irving. If things keep spiraling for the 11th-place Mavs, they'll be exploring all their options.
More must-reads: