Kyrie Irving Interview at Dallas Mavericks Shootaround Before Game 2 vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Kyrie Irving Interview at Dallas Mavericks Shootaround Before Game 2 vs Minnesota Timberwolves

and you guys have been in in the playoffs being up a game how much do you guys talk about just not being satisfied as a group and to keep applying that pressure uh I mean we just have honest conversations is just uh the type of energy we have to bring into the game and um you know also just being aware that we’re playing against a great team and uh we want to respect the the other group and I think that’s most important is just respecting your opponent and uh giving the game what it needs so just getting prepared make sure you’re rested making sure the strategies and Rin in your head for tonight and U just be ready for a warlike environment you know very loud and uh very physical hey you and uh Luka talked about how you guys have formed your guys’s relationship how having a champion or Championship winning and a former superstar coach kind of like guiding that building of the relationship also help uh it makes things a lot easier uh we don’t take our skill sets or talents for granted U we understand that that comes from God that comes from a spiritual source so uh when we get a chance to express uh how we feel about each other we’re very authentic very honest and um I think that translates on the court you know a lot of our closeness uh starts uh on our relationships as brothers off the court um and then you know it just makes it easier to go out there and compete uh we just respect each other’s skill sets like I said how do you feel about the coverage that they got on you on defense last game and the difference between first half and second half for you uh yeah no it was it was a great first half uh felt like I was just pacing the game a little bit and um just making sure we got off the floor I was understanding that they were coming off of game seven uh so they could have been a little fatigue but we just wanted to stay aggressive and make sure that we took advantage of the easy opportunities and in the second half uh I like to say that luuka joined the party my teammates joined the party and um you know when we’re playing well like that it it goes a long way in terms of just Our poise and and just being comfortable in the game we understand we’re going against a great team like I said but we just got to keep staying aggressive and make sure that they feel us as well K there’s been a lot of these uh a lot of these games were you the one Jo the in the second half scoring goes is there a priority or or an emphasis on you being more aggressive early on and being a No it’s it’s just like the same way in the in the last series and also in the Clipper series just uh being able to flow into the game and and not overthink it and whatever the the game shows me just being able to utilize my skill set and my talent to uh offer my teammates some peace of mind out there you know I can score with the best of them like I said but some games um just going to be needed to play a different role and that’s okay as well that’s just part of the growth of our team and part of our identity is just being able to uh adapt and adjust well on the Fly I do you think I think you and Drew holiday are the last ones standing that already have a ring on the playoffs so how do you think that affects like the dollas for better uh I mean it gives us experience I mean I feel like I use my experience very well just being able to communicate with the guys and let them know what type of environment we’re going into um but at the end of the day they got to get their experience too and uh I think that’s that’s the fun part about competition is uh you know you can obviously have a veteran presence but until the young guys go through it they have no idea what it’s like so I think that’s where we’re in the process of doing is is just having fun competing at a high level and then whether mistakes happen or not we’re still living with each other you know and that’s the the sentiment with our group is we win together and we lose together and uh you know just being ready to be mature about the approach you know we’re going into a hostile environment tonight so we got to look forward to it I read their ball pressure as Minnesota’s ball pressure has impacted a lot of guards in these playoffs what is it about you and luuka that kind of allows you guys to navigate that uh I I just feel like it’s our threat to be able to go to the basket from you know 3/4 court and be able to speed up the court and um bring their bigs further away from the basket um you know I think in the other series they had guards that were very aggressive uh but we’re we’re a little bit different you know in terms of how we like to attack and how we like to play off each other me and Luca and I think that we have a a good uh mix of of just not playing your term my term but just creating opportunities for not only ourselves but for our teammates so whenever we’re doing the the we’re making the right basketball plays it’s just a beautiful game to watch and beautiful game to be a part of when you’re when you’re navigating kind of the emotions of a series I know you don’t want to get too higher too low with that but how how do you not how like how do you regulate to make sure you’re not swinging too extremes uh by not treating the game of basketball very extreme you know what I mean like it’s it is the Western Conference Finals aware of the environment that we’re in extra media coverage a lot more um responsibilities uh that you have to be aware of in order to prepare but this is a time where you eliminate a lot of those distractions and you eliminate a lot of the extra fluff and you just go in your room and and you really focus on what you want to accomplish and that’s that time of the year to do so it’s only four teams left uh family should understand media should understand and I think that that’s what comes with this so uh I try to use my experience of being at the the highest level or the finals or the Conference Finals um as a litness test you know as a stress test and and um be able to coach my guys better alongside J kid and and the rest of the coaches and be an extension of those guys but also understand that I’m still learning myself as a student of the game so um just having with fun with that process too you know just figuring that out you just said your turn my turn turn describing how you and you and Luka are not like that um what is what does your turn my turn kind of look like and how do you guys avoid that just kind of break down that CLE uh I mean your term my term basketball is I I like to use the example of um you know you make it easier for the defense to guard you um you make it easy for the defense to scheme against you um you know when you have uh two premier scores on a team or three Premier scores right you’re trying to make it work and it’s your turn my turn uh sometimes as a player you can lose sight of the rest of the court and what’s going on and also your impact on the other ends of the floor uh so it it’s really uh just about getting that out of your head that’s like I like to compare like fifth grade sixth grade basketball where you get it one time and then I get it one time and then when things don’t work we try to give it to somebody else who hasn’t shot in 6 minutes because we’ve been shooting the whole time um but yeah just that that’s the uh the growth that I’ve had is just being aware of uh how the game of basketball is supposed to be played and uh really appreciating the guys who came before me that that showed me the formula and have been teaching me that it’s about a team game and the more that you get out of your own way and and you become more selfless uh the more opportunities come to you so just yeah so so as long as you guys are each other better with without the ball yeah and it’s not just us it’s everybody and and I I know that we get uh you know kind of this phrase that it’s a Duo and me and Luke are leading it or Luke is number one I’m number two I think we’ve tried our best to distance ourselves from that as much as possible because we want to be remembered as a great team and known as a great team and that’s how we we we share our success as as take how did you go about did you think of like other great guards that were you know combinations like when Earl Monroe say I don’t know if you remember when when he was traded to the Knicks from Baltimore you know and how that worked and because if you wanted to make it work it will work was that the philosophy kind of that you took toward that he said if you make it if you want if you want to make it work you’ll make it work uh yes but it also takes experience and taking some teaching you know and and also failing together uh when you put guys together sometimes it doesn’t mes well right away and I think you know you know I’ve included myself just as uh as a competitor and also seeing a bunch of my peers and going through different organizational transitions uh I think some people give up too soon you know and obviously you can have a three-year run a four-year run but I think people give up too soon in the first year two years you’re trying to put pressure on guys to be very successful right away uh and I think that’s unhealthy man I I think that you got to give U people Grace and um allow the transition to happen organically and allow the the uh talent to mesh um so that that’s how I like to look at is just you know these are my brothers for lifetimes off the court but when we get on the court and we have this moment I try to also elaborate that don’t take this for granted you know it’s not too often that you’re going to have a guy like me or luuka being able to play together um and other guys D Jones picking up PJ be traded at the right time Gaff be traded at the right time a lot of things had to go right for us to be in this position so um I try to mirror that uh reflection of just not taking it for granted and giving guys Grace to grow into their roles but when you have other guys that are willing to be selfless it makes the goal a lot easier har so an a said an is one of the faces of the league and he so young and he said he wanted to guard you oneone so as you are a competitor veteran guy does that extra motivated you because you were on fire on the first house uh yeah when I said it was extra motivation it wasn’t anything personal against Aunt it was just more or less um us uh now growing up in the league and me being in my 13th year him being in his um you know first few years as well and being Ultra successful um that’s the familiarity I have with a lot of these young guys is coming into the league with a lot of pressure and answering that call um you know I had the great opportunity to win a championship in you know my first 5 years so I accomplished things that a lot of guys didn’t get to accomplish and I know what that takes and you have to have that no fear mentality so that’s what a has and um it just makes me better so I’m I’m appreciative that he’s able to push me at this at this age but I’m also able to push him and Inspire him y thanks

Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters before their Game 2 matchup of their Western Conference Finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their 2024 NBA playoff series. They hold a 1-0 series lead.

Video: Dallas Mavericks

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