The Paycom Center crowd was roaring. The Oklahoma City Thunder struck first in their series against the Dallas Mavericks. Carrying the cheers of their home fans, they decimated the fifth-seed Mavericks to take a 1-0 lead in the second round. MVP candidate and the Thunder’s surgical scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 29 points in the win.

Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams supported his performance combining for 37 points. Yet tonight’s game was more about defense than offense. The Thunders initiated a tight and rigid system that barely gave Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving any space to operate. The Mavericks scored just 95 points and lost by 22. A massive fourth quarter with an 8-point lead helped the Thunder hold an advantage in the series.

Dallas looked like a lost cause playing against the conference rivals. Doncic richly began his night scoring 10 quick points. For the rest of the game, the 25-year-old starlet was put in a chamber by the Thunder defenders. Trailing behind in a series for the first time this season, all the pressure is now on Dallas to equalize the series in two days’ time.

Meanwhile, their fans are nervously chewing their nails anticipating what might happen ahead. Right in time, they received reassurance from KAI.

Kyrie Irving asks Dallas Mavericks fans for support

Irving himself didn’t have his best showing of the postseason. After a masterful performance against the Clippers in the closeout Game 6, the eight-time All-Star was held to just 20 points today. OKC’s defense prevented KAI from getting touches on the ball, sticking on to him when he tried to create any movement off the ball.

He only got off 14 shots and dished out three assists in tonight’s blowout loss against the Thunder. It was a miserable start as far as the Mavericks are concerned. But adversity isn’t something Irving has ever run away from. In fact, he relishes the toughest situations. Forged with a tough mentality, KAI understands the postseason very well. Being a 13-year veteran, he knows every series is a mind game of its own.

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And while the Mavs did concede today, Irving urged their fans not to lose hope just yet. “Tribe, stay together no matter what,” he wrote on X moments after the buzzer sound for Game 1. It exaggerates on just the right message, especially for the Mavericks as a team. Initially, Dallas struggled to play around Doncic and KAI together. However, over the course of a whole season, a cohesive and trustful unit was born.

It is a process rather than an instantaneous reaction. As the games progress, both sides get accustomed to their rival’s strategies and the competition grows fierce. Yes, the Mavericks had a poor game but they now have an idea about the Thunder’s various strategies and defensive assignments.

As the series progresses, both Luka Doncic and Irving will react and counter with greater force. The tandem is feared around the league largely due to their destructive nature once shots start falling. The duo combines to average 59 points and have managed to ‘outscore opponents by over nine points per 100 possessions,’ highlights CBS.  All Mavs fans have to hope is that their momentum appears in the important moments of the series.