Kyrie Irving channelling 2016 as Dallas Mavericks plot NBA Finals rally

DALLAS – Kyrie Irving is drawing from the experience of Cleveland’s 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals comeback, as he attempts to help dig the Dallas Mavericks out of a 2-0 hole against the Boston Celtics.

The Mavericks host their first game of the NBA Finals on June 12 (June 13, Singapore time), desperate for victory after dropping their opening two road games of the best-of-seven series in Boston.

For Irving, the situation is familiar to his experience with the Cavaliers eight years ago, when Cleveland went 2-0 down to the Golden State Warriors before rallying and eventually winning the series 4-3.

The guard, who shot the game-winning three-pointer in Game 7, sees parallels between his past and present.

“It took a lot of will to win in 2016,” Irving said. “We had time to go through our trials together, as we lost in 2015.

“A lot of guys came back in 2016 and we won. So there was an inner motivation there. We also knew who we were going up against, how well they played.”

Instead of being daunted by the challenge posed by the top-seeded Celtics, Irving wants his teammates to view their situation as “an opportunity to respond”.

“If you asked me in September or October, would I want a chance to be down 0-2 and having a chance to respond in Game 3 or be out of the play-offs, I would choose the former. It’s as simple as that,” he said.

“We’re the only teams left. This is about chess. That’s all it is.”

If the Mavericks are to bounce back, Irving knows he will need a more productive game after misfiring so far.

In Games 1 and 2, he scored a mere 28 points and was 13-of-37 from the floor, and missed all eight attempts from three-point range.

“We have to raise it to an even higher level, and it starts with me,” he admitted.

“We just have to continue to lean in on each other, especially when it gets tough.

“We’re going up against a great team, we know what we’re in for.”

Boston are in the driver’s seat based on league history, as 31 of 36 teams who had a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals went on to win it. So, what is the approach as they look to extend their perfect road record in the play-offs to 7-0?

“Trying to be the hungrier team,” guard Jrue Holiday said.

The Celtics have proven to be the deeper, more talented team early on. They have been winning despite struggling on the offensive end such as shooting just 10 of 39 (25.6 per cent) from three-point range in Game 2.

Boston have used multiple defenders to slow down the Dallas backcourt, with Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum all being options to provide different looks against Irving and Luka Doncic.

Offensively, Holiday stepped up in Game 2, scoring a team-best 26 points as Tatum had a couple of off nights. In Game 1, Brown led the team with 22 points.

Tatum is taking it all in stride, acknowledging that he has to be a better shooter.

“One game, I could explode,” he said. “So, it’s just that mindset of I’m (just) one game away.” REUTERS, AFP