Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Speaks After Loss vs. Grizzlies: Jan. 9, 2024

Mavs’ Kyrie Irving Speaks After Loss vs. Grizzlies: Jan. 9, 2024

My jez Kyrie it seemed like you guys were out of syn all night did you get that impression yeah in in certain possessions for sure um you know just costly mistakes timely mistakes and they capitalize on it uh it beat us up on the boards tonight got a few extra

Opportunities um this game could have been uh even more Out Of Reach if uh they shot the ball a little bit better but got a lot of Second Chance opportunities um they took advantage of them so you got to give credit was it even more frustrating considering you

Guys beat a a very good Minnesota team on Sunday then follow it up with this game for sure for sure I mean you know when you’re uh aspiring to be at the top of the league and and be respected as one of the best teams in the league um

Nights like this matter and uh you know you don’t want to hang your head for too long but obviously playing against the number one team in the west and then playing against the Memphis Grizzlies no disrespect to who they are um we took our foot off the gas pedal um and they

Took advantage I mean they hit us in the mouth in the first quarter 29 Points and then 39 in the second it’s pretty much the game right there and the rest of it was playing pick uh catch up and doing what we could to uh cut it to the

Lead Kyrie we know the season comes with es and flows but does the game like tonight do anything for the morale in the locker room not to get to in to the locker room but I don’t know yeah no it’s part of it when you’re uh when when

You’re as competitive as our group is and I think a lot of my peers can speak for the same thing but when you’re going into that locker room and you feel like you’ve had a bad loss or uh you know you took your bumps and bruises in a game

Like tonight um a lot of minutes being played a lot of bodies being thrown out there um just to break the Rhythm uh for the other team and it doesn’t happen um you you feel like you let yourself down you let your teammates Down Let Your coaching staff down let the fans down

It’s easy to feel that way um and rightfully so I feel that way right now just knowing that our effort could have been better um you know but like you said this is this is part of the es and flows of the Season we just don’t want

To make this a habit where we play against some of the best teams in the league we play well um we’re up and and our Focus level is there and then we play against a team that doesn’t have jiren and Jah um and they fully take advantage of their opportunity and kind

Of hit us in the mouth for the um you know the whole entire night so um definitely got to take our licks and our wounds and see where we can get better how do you balance having short-term memory getting ready for the next game but then also learning from this game

Yeah I think one one thing you’ll uh recognize in a lot of us uh have short-term memory when it comes to our offensive games and some of the you know defensive mistakes that we make um but we remember every possession the guys that are the

Greatest in in in the game and some of the greatest ever played we remember every possession we study it you know I remember last time I played against against Memphis here didn’t play Too Well knew that they were going to be very physical um so I was doing my best

To get off to a good start um but I just had to do more uh to get the collective energy up and uh maintain a positive mindset even when things aren’t uh going well on the offensive end uh yeah so it was just some breakdowns offensively

That led to our frustration and um again we don’t want to make that a habit uh where that’s the feeling or the emotion that we play with um you know we we we play well when we’re playing with a good pace and we’re having fun and guys are

Touching the basketball and um we just know our brand of basketball and identity now when we’re not playing it it’s a stark difference not to make excuses but it’s a different mindset or when you play on a team you don’t have their two stars Sports in general man

Sports in general I don’t think it’s just our game but um specifically talking about our game right now um you know you find out that guys aren’t playing the lineup I think it does more for the opposite team than it does um more to distract us uh gives everybody

That kind of Carefree attitude you know really know if they’re playing for something um and there’s no disrespect to them again but uh tonight they just play carefree and they did the little things to get them that win their bench was involved and you could tell they

Wanted this win tonight in Dallas um they played with that that focus and that type of physicality talk about your rebound rebound Sunday you said doing whatever you can team but it’s five straight games with eight more rebounds now is there a more concerned effort on

Your end to be active on the boards uh just positioning and focus and and also uh being aware of our defensive schemes I’m I’m usually kind of on that low end by the basket um on some of our rotations um but yeah just chasing long rebounds down and and just giving that

Extra effort you know the other night um there was some mixed emotions me going into the crowd and doing everything uh that it took for us to win but I would do it again that’s that’s just my pedigree that’s the stock that’s the brand I come from coaches that I

Play for um yeah just want to continue to be consistent when I need to go down there and rebound till D live comes back and we um have our Center back then you know goes well off the court tell us a little bit about your ball your art

Piece the history background oh yeah no uh yeah it’s a basketball I designed um uh from an omnis perspective has uh different symbols from different religions different cultures and says One Tribe one family around the Sun and club club leacy helped me build it and

Create it um it’s got me in the Middle With You know some of the uh symbols around it and just want to promote uh healthy relationships and utilize basketball as a unifier as it is and um you know it’s uh crazy timing that we’re in in 2024 I think we need more Unity

Amongst uh different races and walks of life and uh I just thought I’d use basketball as a as a bridge um and create this art piece this oneof one art piece and um see what people think about it and continue to produce more if there’s a a genuine ask or or want for

It and go from there but um yeah this could be used to play outside or be on your mantle as a good art piece if you want something like this and just a good story behind it too yeah pretty soon pretty soon yeah shout out to my agent

Shal Riley she’s helped me dive into some other um Avenues of creativ ity and allow me to do this so feels good how does this help you as a player when you continue to have that human side of you come out oh it’s everything it’s everything um you know since I was 17

Years old I’ve been media trained uh I’ve been having mentors around me I’ve I’ve been playing as much basketball as anyone could imagine I put a lot of hours in that go on scene and a lot of sacrifices being away from my family I think my peers could say the same thing

Um you know so those who understand uh know that we got to have a balance in another Outlet other than putting the ball in the rim and this is my outlet it’s art um it’s political satire it’s it’s having fun uh with life and and enjoying um connecting others uh no

Matter their Hue no matter their background no matter their religion just inviting them in and allowing them to break bread and tell their story how do you bounce back on Thursday because the New York Nick team is one of the better teams in the NBA yeah uh we know they’re

Coming in with the utmost energy and um you know they got a great point guard Jaylen leading them and uh you know other guys uh that are fing in their roles they had a big trade so we we get the first look um here at the AAC against the New York Knicks looking

Forward to the to the challenge krie you mentioned your agent kind of helping you stay creative as well for young student athletes that are also interested in other creative athlet creative Avenues but still want to maintain focus on their sport any advice you would give to them counter balancing that yeah uh

Being a nerd and being great at your sport or being talented at your sport and I say a nerd I mean and just uh keeping an open mind be willing to learn new things learn uh new subjects about different people especially uh their cultural history learning about the the

Racial history it’s all part of this this this life and sports is a great medium um that allows people to kind of put down their Shields of identity and you go be yourself but off the court um you know you try to be a peacemaker

That’s what I try to be and I try to share that with the youth as well it’s okay to be smart it’s it’s okay to be compassionate it’s okay to be empathetic it’s okay to be a revolutionary it’s okay to stand up for what you believe in

And it’s okay to do things that challenge you mentally spiritually and emotionally and um you know your parents are doing the best that they can so you got to give them credit um but yeah the youth are really our future and just want them to have a good head on their

Shoulders and know that um this system that we’re in uh needs to be challenged and and it new needs new leadership

Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters after the team’s 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 7, 2024.

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