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As the Dallas Mavericks are in the midst of a highly competitive series against the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, one of the main anchors of the team alongside Luka Doncic is star Kyrie Irving who's still a difference maker at 32 years old. Irving did an interview with Tim MacMahon of ESPN where he talked about the pressure of playing against the young generation of superstars in the league but still finding a way to play well into your 30s like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.
“Hey, I see guys getting better at 39, though,” Irving said. “I see somebody getting better at 39.”
Kyrie Irving talks about regrets of not reuniting with former teammate LeBron James
In what is clearly a reference to LeBron James, Kyrie Irving is talking about how at 39 years old, his former teammate on the Cleveland Cavaliers is averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 54 percent from the field. There was actually a point where before becoming a part of the Mavericks, he could have been with James on the Lakers as the two showed interest, but it didn't happen and the rest is history as Irving has no regrets.
“No time to have regrets, man,” Irving said. “I'm 32 years old now and that time has come and gone. I've been able to make peace with it and also understand that I needed those times to happen in order to understand where I am now and be me as a person. So this business will play tricks on you mentally if you continue to look in the past and who you could have been and what could have been. I found myself doing that pretty often, but now it's just looking forward, man. The future's beautiful.”
Irving on his star contemporaries being out of the NBA Playoffs
Irving has played in his first full season with Dallas this year after playing just 20 games the season prior after finishing up his stint with the Brooklyn Nets. He was effective as he averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field as he's been huge in possibly leading the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals appearance.
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In terms of the players occupying the NBA space, especially in terms of the current postseason race, a lot of it is featuring the association's top young stars. Irving's contemporaries such as James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and more have already been eliminated in the first round or before which was jarring for Irving to think about.
“I've been competing with those guys for so long and seeing them every year,” Irving said to MacMahon via ESPN. “It's been pretty much our generation running the Finals, the Eastern Conference Finals, Western Conference Finals. [The shift has] just been quick. I don't want to say I know that those guys are looking at the light in the tunnel. I can't speak for them.”
The Mavericks star is “excited” for the younger generation to step up
Irving is seeing the young generation on both sides as his featured teammate is Doncic who is 25 years old and is one of the best players in the league. This past season, the Slovenian-born star averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field. On the other side of the aisle, he is facing an Oklahoma City team that features one of the top youthful groups with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and more.
“But to see this newer generation come in and to see how it's played out, I'm excited,” Irving said. “It keeps me motivated and inspired to continue to lead my generation because I was the youngest of that generation watching them.”
The Mavericks are two wins away from beating the Thunder, but it is easier said than done as Game 5 between the two teams takes place Wednesday night on the road. With the series tied at two wins a piece, whoever gets the victory takes full control of the series going into Game 6 which will happen in Dallas as the momentum could easily shift their way.
