After five losses in a row including the last three without Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks were in the midst of a sinistrosis, weighed down by injuries and absences. A situation almost became comical against the Suns with a very diminished team before the match and still reduced during the meeting, causing this reaction of Jason Kidd: ” It is better to laugh, otherwise it can drive you crazy. »»
The coach and his group joined San Antonio with only eight players to try to win at the Frost Bank Center. And this small army was particularly undersized with six elements which do not exceed two meters …
“We were so small that you would have said a high school match, that's how I see things”,, comment Klay Thompson, author of 26 points in this part. “But we have a lot of heart. And the heart takes precedence over the waist, right? »»
As the Spurs are also deprived of a major player, Victor Wembanyama, they could not fully enjoy their size advantage. The Spurs won the first quarter before giving in the next three. This success is good for morale and in the classification (since Phoenix has lost) for Dallas.
“Big collective effort in this match, with eight players”rejoices Jason Kidd. “The matches before, we had a very positive state of mind. No one is shot. We must highlight the work of Klay Thompson to carry this group, push him to work and be ready each evening. »»
Klay Thompson finds “pleasure” in fighting in a complicated situation
“It is a question of staying united, to be mentally hard”, add Spencer Dinwiddie. “We are aware of the situation in which we are. We have to make the most of it. We are already lucky to play in the NBA. »»
Klay Thompson, however irregular this season, is actually mounted a notch by becoming, with Naji Marshall, the main option in attack by the Mavericks now. Since the Package of Kyrie Irving, the former Warriors has turned to 23.8 points on average.
“It is clear that it hurts to see Kyrie being absent for 10 or 12 months … Spencer and I knew that”recalls the rear. “It's boring to be without him for a year but we still have big goals. We still want to make a great series. The injuries are catastrophic but I still love our team. We miss the guys, there is an obvious lack of size, but we show our heart as much as possible and it is a pleasure to go to the battle with each player who is in uniform. We only have the hand on this, on our attitude. »»
The quadruple NBA champion concludes by saying that he believes “Still on this franchise. I am still there for two seasons after that one and I would love to help this team find their hour of glory as in 2011 ”.
