WATCH: Kyrie Irving Heaps Praise on Coach Jason Kidd After Mavericks’ Impressive Game 1 Win Against Timberwolves

In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-105 at Target Center, thanks to a big day for Kyrie Irving. Later, the erratic guard credited head coach Jason Kidd with helping him and the Mavericks forge their unique identity.

The 32-year-old spoke with the “Inside the NBA” team about how Dallas, having defeated the LA Clippers and the OKC Thunder in the first two rounds of the 2024 NBA playoffs, has maintained motivation on its path to a lengthy postseason run.

Addressing the group that included Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Draymond Green, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley, Kyrie Irving discussed how the Mavericks recovered and what impact Kidd had at 8:00:

“You get motivation from failure and you get inspired… I wanted to make sure we felt good as a team after every single game. We had a lot of long meetings with J-Kidd, sometimes it felt like therapy.”

Kyrie Irving finished the game with five rebounds, four assists, and thirty points. The Mavs easily defeated the Timberwolves thanks to Luka Doncic’s 33 points, six rebounds, and eight assists. Jaden McDaniels led the hosts with 24 points, while Anthony Edwards finished with 11 rebounds and 19 points.

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Kyrie Irving Enjoying Great Season With Mavericks

Kyrie Irving is having an outstanding season with the Mavericks, leading the team from the front. Seasonally. He has averaged 21.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 13 postseason games while shooting 48.6% from the field and 42.3% from three-point range.

Game 2 of the series between the two clubs takes place at Target Center on Friday. The winner of the series will play either the Boston Celtics or the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals. After winning Game 1 at TD Garden, the Celtics have a 1-0 lead against the Pacers.

Kyrie Irving will have the chance to win his second NBA title; he previously did so in 2016 while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James.

Also Read: Derrick Jones Jr.’s ‘Fear No One’ Mentality Powers Dallas Mavericks to Western Conference Finals