Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers had a promising message for Maverick fans Thursday night.
And it came before Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving went off in historic proportions.
Better days are ahead, Rivers said, when it comes to the union of Irving and Dončić. And he speaks from experience.
Rivers went through this last year when the Sixers traded in February for James Harden. Pairing him with Joel Embiid was different than the Mavericks folding in Irving with Dončić.
Different, but with a lot of the same challenges.
“It’s tough, especially with James’ case for us, and probably here, too,” Rivers said pregame. “With us, we tried to put the ball in James’ hands. You know how hard it is to put the ball in someone’s hands when they don’t know your plays? So, that’s what’s difficult. You can’t put it in his hands and then say: Slice-four-down. But the guy with the ball doesn’t know what that is.
“It takes time and you got to take your time with it. And I thought that’s where at times, we struggled. But it’s good now, for sure.”
It’s that last line that Maverick fans have to pay attention to. Patience is not always a strong suit in sports. And maybe, just maybe, the growing process can be expedited if Thursday was any indication. Luka and Kyrie both topped 40 points, the first time that’s happened in a game in Mavericks history.
And yet, Rivers knows of what he speaks.
The second year after a major trade often is when the chemistry clicks and a new duo begins to soar. Expecting Luka and Kyrie to be smooth from the start is a bit unrealistic. And they came into Thursday’s meeting with the Sixers 1-5 when they both have played since Irving was traded from Brooklyn to the Mavericks last month.
Of course, nobody wants to wait around until next year to see the polished product, either. And the Mavericks will have the job of re-signing Irving at some point after this season.
But they have a few things going for them – both have high basketball IQs and are ultra-talented. Those are good starting points, Rivers said.
“They’re both terrific players,” he said. “The first game, you could see at the end of the game they weren’t sure who should take the shot. I’ve always viewed that as a good thing, not a bad thing.
“It’s almost like the Olympic team in some ways. You watch them in the last Olympics, the first four games, everyone was trying not to shoot. And then they kind of fell into place and figured it out. That’s what will happen here. It’ll just take a little time.”
The Mavericks still feel like this season is full of potential for Dončić and Irving. The twosome looked much better early in Thursday’s game, combining for 27 points in the first quarter.
Clearly, the Mavericks have plenty of talent now. But are the remaining 18 regular-season games enough time to get it working as a cohesive unit?
Rivers said that, in the Sixers, case, it took a summer of work.
“Just getting comfortable playing with Joel,” he said. “That was one of the better pick-and-roll combinations last year, but I think this year, he (Harden) knows exactly what he’s looking for.”
That time no doubt will come for the Mavericks – hopefully sooner than later.
Comparisons to Hakeem? There have been some suggestions that Embiid, who came in to Thursday’s game averaging 33 points, has a lot of the same qualities that Hakeem Olajuwon did in his prime.
Olajuwon led the Houston Rockets to two championships and is in the hall of fame. He’s also the NBA’s all-time leading shot blocker.
“They’re both talented,” said Jason Kidd before his team did battle with Embiid. “Hakeem, one of the best centers to play the game, one of the best basketball players to play the game. The footwork, I want to say Embiid probably played soccer, with his footwork. Some similarities there.
“At some point, you would think Embiid is going to win a championship and also an MVP so the comparisons will become complete if he can do that. As a center, to be able to move your feet and control your body, he does it very well.”
East vs. West: The Western Conference had owned the Eastern Conference for years when it came to inter-conference competition. Not since 2008-09 had the East owned a winning record against the West, but that streak ended last yar.
It’s going to continue this season.
Going into Thursday night’s schedule, the Eastern Conference owned a 190-168 record against the West.
That includes the Philadelphia 76ers’ gaudy 17-6 record against the West.
The Mavericks came into Thursday with an 8-14 record against East opponents.
Memory lane: Rivers had some funny memories of Dirk Nowitzki, who no doubt will become a first-ballot hall of famer this summer. The enshrinees for 2023 will be announced at the Final Four next month.
Rivers remembered the matchups Nowitzki had with Kevin Garnett.
“I did enjoy the Kevin Garnett-Dirk matchups because Dirk’s not a natural trash talker and Kevin never shuts up,” Rivers said. “So I just thought that was amusing to watch those two go at it. You could tell they had something, if you know what I mean. That was cool to watch.”
Rivers also said that Nowitzki’s humility set him apart from all other NBA players and that he was glad he was able to toast Nowitzki when he played his last game in LA.
Rivers was coaching the LA Clippers when Nowitzki made his last appearance at the Staples Center on Feb. 25, 2019. With 9.4 seconds left and the Clippers up by nine points, Rivers stopped the game, took the public-address microphone and had the LA fans give Nowitzki a standing ovation and toasted him for well over a minute.
“I loved that I embarrassed him in his last game in LA,” Rivers said. “When I stopped the crowd and made them do the cheer for him. At the time, remember, he hadn’t officially retired.
“And then after the game, he came over to the locker room and said: I guess I’m officially retired. I told him jokingly we were doing that on purpose to make sure you were out of here. He was just a great player, just unbelievable.”
Briefly: Kidd said that Maxi Kleber will be working with a minutes limit for the foreseeable future. “There’s always going to be a pitch count,” he said. “He played his first game and he got to his pitch count. And he’s going to stay at that pitch count for a while.” . . . Rivers on the passing of the trading deadline and the buyout season and whether he is satisfied with the Sixers’ roster. “You have to be. That’s just the way it is. I like our team, period. I don’t need to go any further than that.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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