Kyrie Irving on Luka's Game 3 Performance vs OKC, Full Postgame Interview

go hey Kyrie um I want to ask about the hacka Shack on lively uh coach kid said you told him to just not worry about running away just take the foul shoot it uh can you talk about that those his exact words not quite but what were his exact words just just to be clear something along those lines just yeah what you said I want to know exactly do you remember he said your message was to tell Lively to take the foul and shoot the free throw yeah what it look like for you guys when he was running stop playing I just wondering what the fans were thinking too uh I actually didn't see him running around until after the uh I didn't see the clip until after the game but uh we came back to the the bench and I was just like man you you don't have to do all that just let them foul you accept it take it as a compliment um and go up there and knock down your free throw man we believe in you we know you put in a lot of reps so uh although he is a rookie I think going up there he showed a lot of poise he he showed a lot of his uh preparation his confidence and um whether he makes or Miss is I I feel like that's a good opportunity for us um you know kind of shows where we are as a team especially in the half court or playing in transition uh from the I'm talking about the respect from the OKC team where they don't want us to play in half court uh so they go to the hacka hacka uh Derek Lively and um it worked out in our favor tonight so just want him to go up to that line and shoot confidently Kyrie what can you just say about the impact p uh my bad uh no you good what kind what can you say about the impact PJ has been able to make the last two games and honestly really overall since he's got here for you guys uh PJ's been spectacular um you know since he got here like you said and um I think he's he's been able to find his Niche find his role and um except that uh he's somebody that we need to go to in this series to be effective uh once we threw it down to him in the post and got him some opportunities on the three-point line uh he's been doing well with the Reps that he's been getting the attempts that he's been getting and uh he's leave a lot of pressure off of me and Luke and and the rest of the guys on the team so whenever guys can step up like that especially in a playoff environment it works well for us and um when our whole team is playing well and other guys are stepping up uh the game is beautiful to not only watch but be a part of as a competitor krie I wanted to ask one more about um about uh Derek Lively and you know like like you said it can be really easy sometimes to forget how young he is um you know you guys are sending him out there and you know you know even even switching on to thunder player something didn't do a lot of in the regular season what does that speak to you know just the what you've seen from him his ability to learn and pick up stuff and just react uh so quickly man there's a lot of compliments there man yeah that's that's what he deserves for sure uh you know that that's something that we we talked to him about um but I think the coaches do a a great job as well of um continuing to keep him prepare continue to feed him confidence and us as players we just want to surround him with the wisdom the knowledge of what's happening what's going on on out there on the floor um and also protect him you know we also we we understand that he's 20 years old and we're asking him to do um a lot of things out there for us defensively and then offensively we're asking him to make uh big decisions in uh hostile environments or you know when we're at home and the game is pretty close so uh we just want to continue to feed him good energy and uh you know since the regular season and when he's been healthy he's been an anchor for us uh numerous occasions where he's won US basketball game so um you know that's just just the the tale of our team this year is uh we have a lot of special guys that have unique skill sets and when they're playing at the top of their game um it's a joy to watch it's a joy to be a part of Kyrie you had a flurry of baskets there in the fourth quarter including the left hand floater um to kind of ice the game I think on the broadcast you said that you had a coach come up to you and say you wish you would have got going a little bit sooner um just what goes into your mind when you're finally getting it going and why are you so comfortable in those moments it's basketball man I I think um you know I've been able to learn that uh you know from people that are sitting on the sideline see different things so uh I respect their opinion um you know but also as a player as a Hooper uh who's seen numerous series who's been in a lot of different battles who has failed at the highest level uh you know reading the game is just as important as you know forcing yourself into things so uh for me in the first half I just felt like there were some opportunities off the pick and roll I could have taken advantage of um I didn't um but it was still a one-point game you know and I think my confidence um in my teammates during those stretches goes to Ultimate High uh because I need them and they need me but um I also understand the gravity that I pull and uh also utilizing myself as I don't really like the word decoy at all but being out there to uh be ready to make an impact when my numbers called you know we got guys that score at a very high level I score at a very high level but sometimes in playoff games it's not going to be like that and you know one thing that I always like to tell people is just go watch some of the games in the 80s and 90s and 2000s I don't know how the NBA game has changed in terms of perspective that people see and want to see Star players score a bunch of points and force a bunch of stuff but you know you look at some of the greatest teams you know that have played in one championships a lot of guys have been selfless and a lot of guys have been willing to you know just read the game and and give what the game needs so if my job is to play defense that night and that's what I'm gear towards and I feel like that's what my intention is to get us a win and that's where it's going to be it's not going to be you know trying to delegate my offensive press to force myself into the game it's going to come man I I feel like I'm one of the most unguardable people in the world just like you know rest of my peers feel you know it's just the confidence but in the playoffs you don't have time to wallow in you know the extra thoughts of offense offense offense you know defense win championship so if I can have a quick followup when did you kind of learn that lesson in your career that when did I learn it yeah I've lost a few games in my career man and dealt with uh the push back and uh I think the difference between me now and um you know me a few years ago is just you know allowing those external voices to infiltrate to what I believe the game is for me you know and I've been taught by some of the best of the best so I need to trust that you know sometimes uh just you know social networks can get in The Fray of of like what you should be doing and I think that's a dangerous place to be so I like to be surrounded with masters of the game Masters that are going to give me um you know truth about the basketball game and how I can continue to be better and it's time to move forward K similar question in this playoff you scored the most of your points in the second half is that part of your plan or it is because the flow of the game or you're reading the game so yeah it's just reading the game uh it's just reading it at a very high level and then understanding who we have on our team and uh making sure my teammates feel confident going into halftime uh it's a very unique series it's it's not every series is going to be different it's going to be different challenges different obstacles so just got to approach it that way and uh be willing to adapt Kyrie with all you've accomplished in your career what more do you have to show the world about Kyrie the ball player what motivates you what continues to motivate you at this point in your career are you talking about right now where we are or just when I wake up every day yeah just in general basketball wise what more do you have to prove or show about you as a ball player uh I don't think it's so much about proving anything I I I believe it's just putting um the basketball game in perspective I think Josh Hart had a tremendous quote uh where he talked about you know people having 12 hour shifts and we get to go out there and play a game that we love and you know I think that was like right the nail right on the head for a lot of us in the way we feel um that doesn't take away from our competitive spirit and what we want to accomplish as um you know Legacy members of the NBA uh a lot of us and I'll say this for a lot of us peers sometimes we forget that we're the top of the top we have ascended here because of a lot of hard work um we've ascended here because we've sacrificed a lot of family time we've ascended here because we've done little things in order to be great teammates and to be recognized as some of the most special most talented players in the world so uh that's one thing you know that I feel like I could lay my hat on it's just being one of those people but I think on the opposite side it's just understanding that the next generation is watching and I want them to have this game to appreciate as an art space and not just business business business um you know you should enjoy it you should enjoy the competition you should enjoy going against the best of the best and I don't want to overp speak here but um for me personally that's just where my focus has been getting up every day is looking at my kids looking at my wife looking at the kids that are still playing basketball um and it teaches you about teamwork it teaches you about leadership it teaches you about exercise it teaches you about dieting it teaches you about life and that's why I picked up the basketball it wasn't too to be bombarded um all the time wherever I go I hate the celebrity worship I hate the ulter I hate all that stuff that comes with the extra nuances of being a you know quote unquote famous person in the NBA so again it's it's just about leading the Next Generation and understanding that I got to stay poised through the chaos and hate out here so that's that's really where my my head lays we know luk is dealing with a lot physically right now and and this wasn't one of those games where he got in a great shop making GrooVe what what did you think about his impact you know in a game that wasn't kind of his his typical flow what' you mean typical form what you mean just 34 and 8 n are you talking about that or right and and like I said it wasn't a game that he was able to dominate as a as a score what do you think about his impact despite that uh I think he used his voice uh very well tonight and you can tell he wanted to win and that's all we need from Luca we know he's going to um you know be who he is and attack but for us it's just continuing to feed him that energy that he can trust to he around and he can trust that when the ball leaves his hands that other good things are going to happen um great players really feel like they have to initiate themselves at times in the beginning of the game or at the end of the game I feel like he's figured that out to a certain degree and it's up to us to continue to mold that greatness alongside him where you know no matter if he scores a lot or not our team is going to win and that's where we're putting our best foot forward is the energy towards that you know instead of looking at you know oh man LC is not scoring a bunch of points it's like no we have other guys that can contribute as well and want to tribute and when it's Luca's time to take over we allow him to take over when it's my time to take over it's my time to take over PJ's times everybody gets a certain two-minute span where if they make one shot we're coming back to you so that's the NBA Playoffs get used to that I know you're used to that but um that's the where we feel most confident and comfortable is when it's our guys's time we want to celebrate him and continue to feed him that confidence so it's not just on Lucas on all of us is it uh it seems pretty high on the physicality scale out there uh is it a beating is it because it kind of looks that way from afar oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah yeah what you're seeing out there yeah we're definitely feeling it um you know but I I think that's what makes all of this um you know mean a lot more is because you're sacrificing a lot of that um you know time that you would spend with your family or friends and your recovering and you're resting and you're trying to get ready mentally and spiritually emotionally physically for a beating as you say um you know but going against this stunder team is a great test and I'm enjoying it and know my teammates are enjoying it too so got a lot of respect for them but uh we know how we have to play against them oh Kyrie um with Luca having someone where he's getting pestered a lot you know the NBA Playoffs as well as anyone my just kind of two questions how do you feel like Luca is handling the physicality and then secondly what have you done so well in your career that helps you stay poised in those moments when someone's trying to get under your skin again uh well first with with Lou dor pressuring uh Luca uh that's that's uh part of their game plan so um that shouldn't be anything that surprises us anymore at this point we kind of expect him to play like that and and also uh be an anchor for their defense alongside Chad and Jaylen and Shay they're they're good defensive team and uh they get their hands on a lot of loose basketballs pretty often so we just try to affirm Toca just keep attacking him play through the physicality play through the contact as you've always done and I think that makes him better um you know I think he responds very well to it uh he's going to make some shots he's going to miss some shots but I like him continuing to attack and uh for me uh to answer your second question just staying poised again it's just the experience and being allowed to playoff series and understanding what it takes to get the best out of my teammates and them getting the best out of me and sticking to the game plan and doing the little things to get wins Kyrie I don't know that I can sit here and say that the light has come on for PJ Washington because it's not like he hasn't scored in bunches before in his career but two games back toback like this in the playoffs is not nothing is there something from your perspective that you've noticed whether it's his demeanor whether it's how he's attacking certain moments on the floor is there something that you can point to that hey that's that's different yeah I well I I believe that when you're an offensive player or you know you're player on the court uh and you start off the game with a make or a post up or we go to you right away to start off the game that does something for your confidence and uh you know does something for him energetic wise you can tell he he runs up and down the court feeling even better about himself so to see him shoot well um he starts the game off well um he starts U you know an unbelievable defensive matchup and who he's going against so I think he's just engaged uh it's not like we haven't seen him engaged but when he starts hitting shots you know then those little things on the defensive end start to um be a lot tougher on the opposing player because that confidence goes hand in hand and I feel like he's a good two-way player for us uh and now I think he's proven it um they're leaving him open he's open for a reason right that was part of their game plan so we have to make them pay for that and now that he's had two good games we have to expect in game four that they're going to come out with a different adjustment and uh just want to continue to feed him confidence and uh keep that right elbow tucked when he shooting those threes cuz it looks beautiful right now it looks beautiful

Channel: House of Highlights

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Keywords: mavericks vs thunder, mavericks vs thunder playoffs, mavericks vs thunder game 3 highlights, mavericks vs thunder live, mavericks vs thunder highlights, mavericks vs thunder 2024, mavericks vs thunder full game highlights, nba, nba full game highlights, full game highlights, long full game highlights, luka postgame interview, luka doncic interview, luka doncic postgame, kyrie irviong postgame interview, kyrie irving postgame, kyrie postgame interview

Id: aNQG3ki-5PY

Length: 14min 22sec (862 seconds)

Published: Sun May 12 2024