Mavericks playoff hopes in danger as Kyrie Irving weighs in: “It looks like a mess”

Mavericks Struggle Despite Addition of Kyrie Irving, Face Uncertain Playoff Fate

As the 2022-23 NBA season nears its end, The Dallas Mavericks find themselves in an unexpected position in the Western Conference playoff race. Despite making it to the Conference Finals last year, the Mavericks have struggled to find their footing this season, even after making a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star guard Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline.

Since Irving’s arrival, the Mavericks have gone 7-9 in 16 games, and have lost five of their last six. Currently, they sit at 37-40, just one game back from the final Play-In Tournament spot. For a team that was expected to contend for the NBA Finals with the addition of Irving, missing the playoffs altogether would be a major disappointment.

After the Mavericks’ latest loss to the 76ers, Irving was asked about the team’s playoff hopes and how it feels to be traded mid-season for the first time in his career. His response was lengthy and showed the frustration that the team is feeling at this critical juncture of the season.

Despite having one of the league’s brightest young stars in Luka Doncic, the Mavericks have struggled to find consistency this season. It remains to be seen whether they can turn things around in time to secure a spot in the playoffs.

As the season winds down, the Mavericks will need to dig deep and find a way to win games if they want to avoid missing out on the playoffs altogether. With the talent on their roster, it’s not too late for Dallas to make a late-season surge, but they will need to act fast if they hope to salvage their season.

“Just human nature, man. I’m getting traded to a new work environment, and it’s a lot of newness. I’m trying to introduce myself to everybody, figure out who do guys go to on the team to confide in off the court? Who is our coaching staff as people? Upper management, who are they as people? What do they expect from me? The big question, why they traded for me? And, you know, what does it look like for the future?,” Irving told the media, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

“… Just where we are in the season, and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of looks like a bit of a clusterf—, to be honest with you.

“We’re 37-40, and we’re trying to fight to get into the Play-In game. It’s not the expectations I don’t think any of us had in the locker room.”

Read More: Proposal by the NBA commissioner Adam Silver for the league to pull out of the current CBA