End of the Road: Mavericks' Bittersweet Finale
BOSTON -- As the Dallas Mavericks signaled their resignation by replacing all 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.
Following the brief exchange, Irving returned to the bench and shared an embrace and a few words with his teammate Luka Doncic, a superstar concluding his first NBA Finals appearance.
The Mavericks succumbed to the Celtics with a 106-88 loss, allowing the Celtics to clinch their record-setting 18th NBA championship.
A Bittersweet Journey
Irving described the finale as a "bitter" ending to a "really positive journey" for the Mavericks. The team had reconstructed their supporting cast around their star duo over the last year, transforming a lottery finish into a Western Conference championship. The organization remains optimistic that the Mavericks will be contenders for years to come.
Looking Forward
Despite the defeat, Doncic wasn’t in a particularly reflective mood on Monday night. Instead, he expressed feeling "great" about the franchise's future. This optimism is buoyed by Doncic's remarkable postseason performance. He 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.
Doncic suffered a right knee sprain in the first round and a thoracic contusion in the Finals opener. These injuries necessitated 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 remains uncertain. Slovenia is scheduled to begin their Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece on July 2.
Coach 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.
Player Reflections
"We said, 'We'll fight together next season, and we just have to believe,'" Doncic shared after the game. "We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing, and now it's just about being consistent," he continued.
Doncic 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. So, I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we're competing for championships."
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 around me."
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."
Setting a New Standard
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 always be 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 a compelling and ongoing story for this franchise.