Dallas Mavericks Interviews Before Game 4 of NBA Finals vs. Celtics: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, More

Dallas Mavericks Interviews Before Game 4 of NBA Finals vs. Celtics: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, More

coach you’ve got the microphones on each side of the room please raise your hand we’ll go right here in the front Tim on two third seat Tim KO with the athletic Jason um you you had talked after game two about Dante exom and and what you thought he brought to that game I was I was curious from his short stint in game three what you saw that that caused you to end up going away from him in the rotation yeah I thought um exm did great um we probably look back at it we could have probably got him in there a little bit more um but we went with the other guys we were looking for someone who was you know to be able to knock down a open shot we had good looks that just uh didn’t go down for us I thought exam’s Pace uh his ability to get the ball into the paint for those three minutes uh was good and so hopefully we can get them in the game in game four Joe here in the front Joe V in the athletic I guess expanding on that down as you are do you have to consider lineup changes in is there something personnel-wise you think you can do to change the momentum in the series well I think we played 11 yesterday so um everybody’s on Deck everybody has to be ready to play um no lineup changes um here today um but we’ll we’ll see what um tomorrow brings Ramona over here hi uh Ramona sh ESPN Jason you and I have talked all about how competitive Luca Don is and how how much he wants to be great A lot of times great players get to the finals especially their first one and the other team throws they they find a weakness they find whatever it is and they they try to expose that like LeBron and the Spurs or whatever it is um how how much do you tell Luca about that kind of Journey for a great player and the challenge he’s he’s facing ahead yeah yeah I think um you know the history is there for us to learn from you know when you look at great players um and the struggles um you look at MJ and the struggles that he had against Detroit um you look at you know some Magic Johnson struggles you look at um LeBron’s uh first time around and so it’s uh it’s there to learn from um but you know as the great ones they they use that um going into the next season or the next couple Seasons to try to get back there cuz now they understand um experience is a big thing um when you look at the Celtics um you know uh they lose to the Warriors two years ago um they lose to Miami in game seven um and so just experience of understanding that you’re not you know promised to get back that you got to work and you see the group that is out there today um you know they they know how to play they are a really good team and they put a lot of pressure on your defense uh you know transition rotations and so uh for great players um you you have to you have to fail um to understand you know how to be successful at the highest stage and this is the highest level uh is being in the finals Tim all the way in the back right Jason Tim Reynolds with the AP everyone knows what the numbers the the stats say the that your odds are nil to do this how do you block all that out how do you tell your guys just play tomorrow just just win a game tomorrow and see what happens how do you keep them in that mindset and not look at how daunting a three deficit looks on paper yeah I think uh you talk about playing game four that’s it um you know I thought yesterday we got off to a really good start um and hopefully we can do that again tomorrow it’s you look at the end of quarters the end of the first game two and also here in game uh three we we have to be better um and so um again just taking one position uh one possession at a time controlling what you can control your effort and energy and just uh winning the minutes when you’re out there and that’s all we talked about today and that’s what we’ll talk about tomorrow all the way in the center Sky Dixon with the AP Jason you’ve talked uh a lot since you’ve been here about just wanting Luca kind of engaged and active on defense did you see any slippage in that last night with a chance to look at it more or the Celtics just really good at attacking him and and what maybe needs to change a little bit on that front for him yeah yeah I think um you know you know I think Luc is doing in this playoff series when you talk about from the Clippers to to to uh today he’s uh his defense has improved um but when you look at um being involved in every pick and rle there’s going to be you know mistakes that take place that’s just the game of basketball um and we just got to limit those mistakes um you know but he is involved in every possession um and and that’s what the Celtics are very good at doing is making sure when they go hunting they they get the guy that they want and so for us we got to do a better job of protecting Luca Tim last question here before Luka comes up Tim mcmah ESPN uh did you guys do anything on the court today and then what was the emphasis of whatever work you did do it was just film um both offense and defense what you know the good things that we did and then also the things that we got to improve on thank you Jason thank you D first question right here in the front what’s up luga Brandon from the warriors uh obviously big fan of your game someone who I look up to and and um mod of my game after and something that I kind of stood out to me is you know obviously they’re making you play a lot of isolation ball um and you do a really good job of you know using your off arm to you know get by people but I also think you’re really good at you know creating advantage and keeping an advantage and you’re really good at um you know keeping guys on your hip and it uh it makes the help Defender kind of have to pick and choose what they give up um just want to learn like or just want to ask you know where you kind of got that from and uh what’s your thought process once you beat your initial Defender I mean first uh I think I just look at how long the guys have been in paint you know the low man uh if it’s time it’s like 2 seconds he’s going to go out and that uh I think that’s the moment to to attack and then if he I’m just trying to read the game if he comes you know there’s going to be a lob open the corner if you don’t I just take theay Jared standing here on the left hey LCA to your left Jared Greenberg NBA TV after game five in the OKC Series you told me that you got back to playing for the Love of the Game you remembered that do you sometimes feel in this series you are getting away from that when you’re talking to the referees and number one I mean yeah at some point yeah uh the end of the day I just really want to win uh you know sometimes I don’t show you the right way uh but the end of the day I really want to win so I got to do a better job you know showing a different way how can you do that game four with your season on the line uh go back to playing fun you know we talk about how we come back from 20 points in a fourth quarter in the finals uh we were having fun uh we’re defending uh we were running our Pace was great and just taking good shots right side on the aisle about six rows back K great Mavis radio network luuka when you’re in the midst of these games and you’re having these conversations with officials how do you change your approach in terms of these conversations to ensure that not only you’re staying locked in but also continueing to help your team stay locked in even when things aren’t going necessarily your way at times during games just got to go away cuz the end of the day you know R’s going to have the last word uh so just got to go go away from that left side on the aisle six rows back Ramona over here on the left Luka Ramona Shelbourne ESPN how much have you studied other great players when they got to their first Finals whether it’s you know Michael against Michael in his first Finals or magic or or Lebron with the Spurs and and sort of what defense is tried to do to them and exploit with them and compare it to what Bost is trying to do here uh I I didn’t really study you know uh the first Finals of some people uh I mean obviously they were great players there’s a story of MJ against Detroit you know that was the big thing uh but he just I think he just he just learned from it uh it’s a great experience you got to go through lows first uh to go on top uh so I think that’s that’s a great experience last row back right Luka how do you guys keep any real sense sorry back here how do you guys keep any real sense of belief knowing that the odds say that this is too tough a mountain to climb out of how do you keep believing that you can do this um just like we did before uh you know like I always talk in the regular season there was a time we were at are very low I think we lost 5 six in a row and then from there we just went up I think we went 17 and two uh to get into playoffs uh I know it’s that’s regular season uh but it was the kind of point we all came together uh the chemistry from there went to the top uh and we’re just going to believe uh we talk about it in the locker room and I know we can do it uh and we’re going to believe till the end Tim here on the left Tim McMan SPN um the Celtics obviously going to make you work as hard as they can defensively uh what’s unique about the the challenges they present while doing that you know it’s not like they’re the first team to do it but what’s unique about them and how do you think you’ve held up uh to those challenges I mean they have great players uh basically all five players they’re on the floor they can really score they can shoot uh so you know our Point uh our strategy was just uh try to make him drive more and then be on the wheel uh on the rotations uh so I think we I have to do better job on that just keeping him front about six rows back towards the center um Lucas sporton [Music] [Music] on your left second row Mike Leslie WFA Luka we’ve seen you elevate your game throughout this playoff run in its entirety but in this series in particular are there things about your game a whole here or two that here or there that you can identify that you feel like hey that’s something I want to focus on in the off season to improve myself just that much more uh definitely a lot of holes I think still uh 25 got a lot of ways to learn uh a lot of things to learn uh this my first semi-finals uh so I’m going to learn from it for sure uh but we’re not in offseason yet you know they still got a win one game uh like I said we’re going to believe till the end third row on the left Luka Valeria Rubino BBC to K said the pressure makes diamonds how do you turn fear and anxiety into motivation and strength to be the leader you want to be for this team U just keeping the team together uh like I said we have great guys uh we all know what we came here to do uh obviously we’re going against the best team in the NBA uh but we’re going to believe uh it’s first to four so we’re going to still believe and that our motivation last question in the center about six row six rows back [Music] [Music] thank you Luka all right we’ll take questions for Kyrie questions we were just here 15 hours ago over here on the left third row hi K valer Rubino to deport BBC you said that basketball has been a great great teacher for you but life has been a better one what have you learned in these past few years that is allowing you to have the right mind uh mindset to face difficult situations and challenges Ah that’s a great question um try to be simple not as longwinded uh goodness I think life is a um Incredible Gift that we can’t take for granted um if you’ve ever lost somebody close to you um that’ll remind you really quick on how precious life is I’ve had to deal with a a ton of loss in my life just watching people that I love um kind of leave this earth that was difficult to deal with as a young person and then getting older and um trying to deal with the perspective of being a celebrity or famous person or professional basketball player whatever it is an Entertainer whatever we’re called uh and trying to find purpose in that um and why am I here uh so just I think all in all I’ve just learned how to not put so much pressure on myself put things in perspective and understand that I’m not alone and I’m still a young person in this world trying to figure it out and I’m not supposed to have it all figured out I think that’s the beauty too uh so just embracing the moments that I get to share with the people that care about me unconditionally get to know some new people in this world uh go from strangers to friends I get to know um you know my kids most importantly and who I want to become come for them and my wife and being a husband and yeah just appreciating the gifts that I’ve had to earn and and work for and and build so uh that’s what helps me put all this in perspective of just the past few years of learning how to deal with uh real human emotions and uh not gloss over them and pretend like life is all good um you know that that’s it just being real with myself like looking in the mirror and being real I think if you can be honest with yourself then the world is your canvas on your right second row by Manning sist media K Kyrie how special is Boston’s ability to guard one-on-one not bring help and just try to you know stay in front of guys individually you know Brown and Tatum’s ability to do that how have you and luuka kind of dealt with some of the frustrations of trying to beat that you know in this series yeah very special uh you know to watch from afar but also uh as a competitor as a Hooper uh to be experiencing at this level is it’s an incredible teacher for me uh I use it as a moment to learn um you know how how hard it is to win especially against a great team that’s going to guard you the way that they’re guarding us and uh the frustration is natural just because you want to make every shot when you’re in the finals you don’t want to miss you you don’t want to not play well so uh you you give partial credit to them but also there’s a a focus and a preparation you have to have and um you know obviously High Insight Is 2020 but looking at the first two games and and how um you know some of my shots were a little bit pressured more than I have had in other series and the physicality is a little bit different and you know these guys on that Boston Squad know my game as well they know it well um you know so they’ve been able to scheme for me for the past few years uh so giving over this hump is is something that’s been on on my mind for a while um you know watching them just like everyone’s been watching Boston the whole entire year be the best team in the league um you know we obviously knew we would have our challenges um but this is what helps us grow so you know going out there and competing with the best of the best going against Drew and Jaylen and J um and seeing their ability to cover up some of their mistakes or um you know trust each other to make the right plays on defensive in uh has shown me uh what I have to continue to work on and also um learned how to think the game in a better way you know so I’m I’m going against the best of the best and this what I’ve always dreamt of and um whether we win or lose it’s it’s the growth that I look at and um how I can continue to be a better leader for my teammates about the third row from the back on the left go ahead it’s me yes sorry uh K when you won the championship with uh the Cs you were like the young star and you had LeBron James who was the more experienced star and now you’re kind of in this uh position finals that you are more experienced and how has it been for you to you know take luuka through it and take luuka actually to his first Finals how has that exchange between you guys been uh it’s been great because we’re learning about each other these moments and what we’re made of and uh what we have to do to be great at this level back right all the way in the back back here Dan Devine Yahoo sports sort of along those lines Luca is under the microscope now in a way that maybe he hasn’t been before despite having been through so many competitions since you turned Pro you’ve also been under these you know the microscope under the hotlights I’m just wondering like he’s going through this big part of his journey what are you able to tell him about what he’s experiencing how are you able to relate to him about that is he coming to you for anything about that like what’s it like seeing that happen to somebody on this stage yeah I mean there are a lot of first- timers on this stage and uh I’ve said it over the past you know week or so just as a new space for me too just being with these guys and and being tested at this level being challenged at this level um you know my first Finals although I was injured I lost um you know 2016 although we like to bring it up was one of the toughest series that you’ll probably ever see in basketball in general I don’t I don’t know if um you know those uh Records are just going to you know be so easy for someone just to look at and be like yeah we’re able to do it too but that belief should never die that you can win a Series and win it together um but yeah my message just you know to him is just he’s not alone in this and he’s he’s played as best as he can um despite the circumstances just injuries and stuff he’s been giving in his all so it’s not all on him and being under the microscope and in this business is a lot different from me now than probably four years ago 5 years ago um cuz I’m able to put the big picture of life in perspective and also the gaming perspective is becomes easier um you know and then also I think this social media uh sociopathic Behavior you know your inner voice is not clear anymore when you’re downloading other voices and other opinions that that can become hard so um any little thing that you give your energy to can be a distraction that doesn’t positive reinforce what you’re trying to accomplish so I think we’re learning that about each other right now from not only us as players but the coaching staff and everybody that’s been part of this journey thus far um no one picked us to be in this position no one anticipated us to be here there may be a few people in this crowd right here that knew you know or had an idea but yeah we we’ve uh pretty much broken the mold of what we’re capable of doing and I think we’re trending in the right direction so we have some positives going on it obviously like sucks horrendously that we’re not at least um you know competitive in this series right now three games in um but it’s also uh about getting experience and learning through these things and also learning more about yourself so uh I’ve taken a brunt of the responsibility because these guys in this locker room it is their first time so being in this position I do feel like um a lot of it is on me a lot of my teammates would say no it’s not just you which I appreciate um but this is also part of my journey and the story doesn’t end here uh win or loss and I’m just appreciative that we can get another chance to extend our series or our season tomorrow and um just leave it all out there it’s all about a pride thing now and uh just putting our best fo forward Joe last question here on the front hey Kyrie kind of a big picture question for you just with the year that you’ve had and and you seem to be so comfortable playing as well as you’re playing do you think that you have a lot left do do you see yourself like you got a new contract Joe where you going with this man no I just want to know where are you going with this brother I’m just asking where you going where you feel you are right now yeah and how much how much you have left okay do you want to ask me that 5 years from now or are you asking me am I retiring early hey man we asked LeBron that 32 be direct we as what are you asking oh just how much do I have left or yeah yeah like how how much longer do you feel like you’re going to be playing at this level and oh man yeah yeah uh man I haven’t even given that much thought Joe to be honest with you um this has been the longest season I’ve played in a while it’s been six years um so I’m I’m I’m looking at the big picture in a way that um I probably was not ready to look at when in my early 20s or late 20s um the way technology is today the way uh I take care of my body every day and and the way I have the opportunity to um learn more about my body as I get into my 30s I’m appreciating and um my mind continues to get sharper my physical tools are obviously naturally going to deteriorate you know which I can appreciate too so adding new skill sets or adding um new nuances to my game where I can be successful at this level especially going against some more Athletic League or a faster league and you got me over here speaking like I’m 38 already but uh yeah at 32 right now I just feel like disguise the limit and um I have an opportunity to be on a special team that can be one of the teams that Dom in this eras and uh that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out for the past few years of how to be on a great team being in an organization where I I’m trusted and and also we able to succeed and fail together and um do it in a way where um you know we still have each other’s backs and no one’s giving up on the dream or the goal you know our goal is still to win a championship that’s been number one um and for me that’s why I play basketball every year is just to be able to continue to get better but also to compete for championships so uh if I’m not doing that at you know 33 or 34 or 35 then we probably can revisit this but I think right now I feel like we’re trending in the right direction and and especially this organization led by Nico and J kid and our new ownership group um they

Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Jason Kidd spoke to reporters before Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Video: NBA

X: https://twitter.com/GrantAfseth
Facebook: https://facebook.com/GrantGAfseth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/GrantAfseth
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grantafseth

Check out my full Dallas Mavericks coverage on https://MavericksGameday.com for daily updates, analysis, and exclusive interviews. You can also check out my NBA work at https://NBAAnalysis.net.