Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving Mar 8, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (2) waits for a free throw against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Acquiring Kyrie Irving was supposed to make the Dallas Mavericks NBA Finals contenders. Unfortunately, it’s made them anything but. The Mavericks hit their lowest point of the season on Friday night; they entered the home contest against the Charlotte Hornets as 16-point favorites, but allowed Charlotte to pull off the biggest upset of the NBA season in a 117-109 loss.

At one point the Mavericks were down by 18 points to a Hornets’ squad that owns the league’s fourth-worst record. They were serenaded by a crowd of boos, which Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd pretty much said his team deserved from the first quarter on, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

The Mavericks are 7-12 since acquiring Irving, including 3-7 when Irving and Luka Doncic play together. Irving, who is no stranger to criticism and has received his fair share of boos this season alone, didn’t seem to be too focused on what the fans think of his and his teammates’ performance when asked about the booing.

“So? So what? Just the way I feel about it,” Irving said, via MacMahon. “I’ve been in New York City, so I know what that’s like. You obviously want to play well, but it’s only five people on the court that can play for the Dallas Mavericks. If the fans want to change places, then hey, be my guest. Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level. But our focus isn’t necessarily on the boos. It should be on our performance and just being there for each other.”

Irving took to Twitter in the early hours of Saturday morning and sent a cryptic message.

“Being at Peace is a gift that still comes with its beautiful Challenges,” Irving wrote. “Even miracles take patience. I gotta stay poised and maintain a growth mindset.”

A few hours later, Irving tweeted out several images that appeared to be a critique of modern society and social media.

The Mavericks (36-38) are currently 11th in the Western Conference standings and are in serious danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

[ESPN]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.