Why Kyrie Irving Credits Joe Mazzulla For Celtics Win Over Mavs

Six months removed from the NBA Finals, and the Boston Celtics are still getting the better of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Celtics on Saturday looked like the team that took care of the Mavericks in five games on the league’s grandest stage instead of the one going through an up-and-down 20-game stretch. Boston took the lead for good with 11:01 left in the second quarter and never surrendered it en route to a 122-107 win at American Airlines Center.

The Celtics still appear far ahead of the Mavericks, who own a 24-22 record and are without an injured Luka Doncic. But don’t tell that to Kyrie Irving on why Boston had its way with Dallas.

“Or they’ve lost a couple of games and Joe Mazzulla got into their ass a little bit and you get the result you got tonight,” Irving told reporters, per MassLive’s Brian Robb. “Going against us, playing with a verve, playing with a confidence and taking care of the ball.

“They made adjustments and that’s what great teams do, especially when they are champions in the league. They handled our pressure, they adjusted to our zone coverage, they started getting open shots and it’s a pretty easy game from there.”

Irving actually turned in a strong performance against the Celtics, which doesn’t always happen when he goes up against his former team. The 32-year-old notched a team-high 22 points on 11-for-23 shooting to go along with five assists.

The Celtics had Joe Mazzulla-ball working near-perfectly to overwhelm the Mavericks, though. Boston had all five starters score at least 17 points while the team sank 20-of-52 (38.5) 3-pointers. It was the second time the Celtics knocked down 20 treys on their four-game road trip.

Relying on the 3-point shot during their uneven stretch has brought plenty of criticism, but Irving fully understands why the Celtics lean into that play style.

“I like math because it has no emotions,” Irving said. “Outside of JT and JB, when those other guys get it going like D-White and Jrue Holiday, that’s what makes them special and makes them great. Everyone kind of criticizes them based on what their season is this year, but if you look at their first 42 games, it’s pretty similar compared to last year. Maybe two years off. This is a well coached basketball team.”