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BOSTON -- As the Dallas Mavericks essentially waved the white flag, substituting for all of their starters while trailing by 21 points with 2:37 remaining in Monday's Game 5, Kyrie Irving walked toward the other end of the floor to congratulate his former teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, as well as other members of the Boston Celtics.
Irving then returned to the bench and exchanged an embrace and a few words with his teammate Luka Doncic, a superstar wrapping up his first NBA Finals appearance.
The Mavericks lost to the Celtics 106-88, with the Celtics clinching their record-breaking 18th NBA championship.
Irving described it as a "bitter" ending to a "really positive journey" for the Mavericks.
Building the Future
The team reconstructed the supporting cast around their star tandem over the last year, transforming a lottery finish into a Western Conference championship. The anticipation within the organization is that the Mavericks can be a contender for years to come.
Despite the loss, Doncic wasn't in a particularly reflective mood Monday night. Instead, he expressed feeling "great" about the franchise's future. This optimism is bolstered by Doncic's remarkable postseason performance.
Doncic became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in points, rebounds, assists, and steals during a postseason, even while managing serious injuries. He suffered a right knee sprain in the first round and a thoracic contusion in the Finals opener. These injuries required pregame pain-killing injections for the remainder of the series.
Given his physical condition, Doncic's status to play for the Slovenian national team this summer is in question. Slovenia will open an Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece on July 2.
Kidd's Perspective
Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd described Luka's Finals appearance as a "learning experience" and praised his performance despite the loss. "For him at the age of 25 to get to the Finals, to be playing his basketball at the level that he's playing, now it's just about being consistent," Kidd reflected.
Optimism Amidst the Pain
After the game, Doncic shared, "We said, 'We'll fight together next season, and we just going to believe.'" He continued, "We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing, and now it's just about being consistent." He added, "I think probably in the last week, I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era, and our last few champions have been a new one each and every year." Doncic sees an opportunity for the Mavericks to make Finals appearances a regular achievement and to compete for championships consistently.
Reflecting on his own struggles with injuries during the series, Doncic said, "It doesn't matter if I was hurt, how much I was hurt. I was out there. I tried to play, but I didn't do enough." When asked about his future, Doncic was non-committal: "I don't want to talk about what's next, man. I have some decisions to make. I'm just trying to get a little bit healthier."
A New Standard
From a spiritual standpoint, Irving found a silver lining in this journey. "I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself, my teammates, the organization, and the people that I'm around," Irving shared.
Regardless of the outcome, the Mavericks' journey to the Finals has set a new standard for the team. "When you have one of the best players in the world, you should be always fighting for a championship," Kidd summarized.
Although the Mavericks ended their season on a sour note, they have established the groundwork for future success. With a revamped roster and a determined star in Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are poised to remain in the championship conversation for years to come.
The loss in Game 5 is merely a chapter in what promises to be an ongoing and compelling story for this franchise.