Kairi’s debut: nerves, role reversal, ham and egg effect highlighted

LOS ANGELES – The roles were completely reversed at the Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday.

No, not with Kyrie Irving taking over from Luka Doncic as the sole superstar on the court.

It was Theo Pinson cutting through the Los Angeles Clippers defense while Doncic was on the bench cheering and celebrating his teammate’s success on the court.

And in the post-match it continued when Pinson sat down at the microphone for an interview and said: “This is different.”

Really.

Now, a lot has changed for the Mavericks, who beat the Clippers 110-104 and improved to 30-26 and 2-1 in this five-game trip that ends this weekend in Sacramento.

And Pinzon, who has been a hood ornament for most of his time with the Mavericks, has already justified his salary this season, lighting the Mavericks this stretch with Doncic ruled out with a bruised right heel and Irving not yet fully integrated. to the program.

And no one sees the opportunity better than 6-5 Pinson.

“A real pro is just a great basketball player,” Pinson said of Irving, the star he played with in Brooklyn in 2019. “I think everyone gets confused thinking that basketball is just a collection of points. He attracts so much attention, helps everyone. And now we have two such guys who open the playground for everyone.

“The sky’s the limit. We’re figuring it out, man. We’re really figuring it out. Josh Greens, Jayden Hardy, Reggie Bullock, Tim Hardaway, me – just take a little pressure off these guys and they’ll relax and just play basketball.”

And play very well. The Mavericks controlled everything, even on defense against the Clippers. Bullock pursued Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and got a lot of help. The Mavericks pushed the ball when they bounced it off.

And they bounced back. In the third game in a row, they overtake an opponent in rebounding, which they have not done since Christmas (19 games in a row).

And Kairi showed why he’s been one of the top superstars in the game for a decade.

As Mavericks Governor Mark Cuban told ESPN, “He’s a Hall of Famer, so why would you do otherwise when you have the chance to get someone (of that quality). He is a superstar. Why don’t you take this chance?”

Why, really.

And to see how he develops with Luka’s return, possibly against the Kings on Friday, Mav TV is a must-watch.

Which brings us to the highlights of Kyrie’s victory over Clips:

THE FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL: Even when you’ve been doing this job for a dozen years, you’re still allowed to be nervous. Irving admitted that he had several butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “Just natural nerves,” he said. “After the game, I talked to my wife. And she asked: are you okay. She could tell by my face that I had a lot of emotions. I did my best to get through them.” The good news is that Irving knows this isn’t Star Wars pod racing. He can take things slowly, be patient and let things develop organically. He didn’t even feel the need to hunt down Doncic and start making some sort of to-do list or anything. “It’s been four hours,” he said of the time since Luca landed in Los Angeles and the end of the game. “He just walked into the locker room. We are not forced to sit down and cut all the time. I’ve been in this business for 12 years now, and when I see someone with a special talent, I have to get to know them first. I don’t want to force them to do anything or do anything that goes beyond my norms.”

BALL FLOODED: The Mavericks’ pace was clearly faster than when Luca dominated the ball. This goes without saying as Kairi picks up the pace and the others play with the ball. And the Mavericks are just like everyone else: they can’t wait to see what it will look like when Irving and Doncic are next to each other. Pinson said: “Beautiful. Choose your poison.”

THERE IS NO CONFUSION HERE ALPHA DOG: In golf, this is called the ham and egg effect. Play hard, and when there is an obstacle on the road, let your partner pick you up. If the Mavericks get the hang of it, they’ll be fine. If it wasn’t clear when Jason Kidd said it would be Luka’s team during the first press conference after the trade for Irving was made official, Irving echoed that sentiment in his comments after his debut with the Mavericks. “Don’t think about anything and have fun,” was Irving’s main message. “Luca has been playing professionally for so long that he has seen every defense,” Irving said. “He leads the league in scoring in the first quarter. So he will be super aggressive. I just try to read the game at a very high level and first let the defense make mistakes and then try to impose my will.”

Twitter: @ESefko