The Dallas Mavericks were expected by many to give the Los Angeles Clippers a tough challenge in Game 1 of their first-round series versus James Harden and company. But that did not turn out to be the case on Sunday, as the Clippers had a walk in the park in a 109-97 win over the Mavs to get to an early 1-0 lead in the series.
Kyrie Irving Speaks up After Dallas Mavericks’ Game 1 Loss to the Clippers
Perhaps part of the reason for the Mavericks’ bad start to their 2024 NBA Playoffs campaign was the relatively long rest between their final regular-season game and Game 1 of the Clippers series. However, Irving isn’t one to use that as an excuse.
Via Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News:
“We knew we were going to have to knock off some rust,” Irving told reporters in the postgame press conference. I’m not saying that’s an excuse, but internally, those things matter for the importance of what we’re getting ready for.”
Irving did not look affected much by the long break, as he scored 31 points on 10/18 shooting from the field and also added seven rebounds and four rebounds. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 33 points, though, he shot just 11/26 from the floor. It’s likely that the quality of the Clippers as a team had a lot more to do with Dallas’ woes in Game 1 than rust.
“We are going against some Hall of Famers,” ‘ Irving said about the quality of their first-round opponents after just a game into the matchup (via ESPN). “I don’t even know if we even are favorites in this series and so we just have to pay attention to what we can control.”
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