The message was delivered. Luka Doncic is not championship material!!!! That’s been the force-fed narrative in the aftermath of the Doncic trade. Nico Harrison and Patrick Dumont have tried their best to convince the Mavs fanbase of it but they’re not only #MavsFansForLife, they’re Team Doncic. Jason Kidd’s silence over the lack of protest shows where he stands but Kyrie Irving has set himself apart from the bunch. Chief Hela is being the leader he needs to be, is being the healer he needs to be for the whole of Dallas. So when he delivers a message to the locker room, you can’t help sit up and listen.

The Dallas Mavericks went into the Warriors games with 99 problems and zero centers. That didn’t stop them from recording the dub against the Dubs. After the game, Kyrie Irving was clear to highlight how they got through this and set the expectations for the future once again. “Plain and simple, if I’m putting my body on the line we all have to and same vice versa for me, that same sentiment, feeling. Whatever it takes to win,” Irving said when asked about the message sent to the locker room with his 42-point game. That’s some Captain America level speech and coach Kidd wouldn’t mind bestowing that moniker on the guard.

In the 111-107 win, Kyrie’s grit was key for the Mavs which was even acknowledged by Steve Kerr after the game. There was certainly a source to the motivation and it was right in front of Kyrie during the game. “To be a multi-time championship winner in our league is the toughest thing to do. He’s a [two-time MVP] of our league, so that’s really the barometer at times where you can look and stay motivated as a peer of his,” the 9-time NBA All-Star said about Stephen Curry, who was kept below 30 points tonight. “No jealousy or any hate, just straight competition and being willing to admit when someone else is great. You’re taking things from his game, he’s taking things from your game. It’s a mutual respect, that’s how I feel about it.”

With Luka Doncic gone and Anthony Davis out, Kyrie is now the undisputed leader in the Mavs locker room. He is the biggest beneficiary of the trade and now it’s Kyrie Irving’s team. Period. Coach Kidd identified it and wasn’t shy talking about it, unlike last time when he skipped the media availability.

Jason Kidd gives Kyrie Irving his flowers after the win over Warriors

The Mavs injury list currently is one of the worst in the league. With no centers available, Kidd ordered each of his players to be a center. And his pre-game prayer was answered. Even the 6’2″ Irving was up for the task and Kidd loved it.

“Yeah, grit was high, energy and effort was great. Great bounce back game from the last one,” a satisfied HC told in the post-game presser. Giving props to the guys for playing hard and having trust in each other, Kidd gave shout-outs to Irving and Klay Thompson. “There’s a lot of trust, a lot of leadership when you talk about Klay and Kai,” Kidd added. Moreover, with the current situation in Dallas with the fan protests, a unified team on the court was the rallying cry and they passed that mark with flying colors last night.

But his praise of Kyrie didn’t end there. Kidd praised the soon to be 33-year-old for being fearless with his drives into the paint and willingness to get hit late in the game to see off the lead. “I thought his will was high. I thought just understanding the game, we’re scrapping for a rebound,” Kidd said, mentioning how it reminded him of the Philly game when he got the charge against Embiid and put the team in a position to win that game. They didn’t execute it then, but against the Warriors, they did. “We understand that Kai’s going to get hit late in the game, and we trust it,” JK concluded.

The Mavs will go again tonight against the Heat. But this time they might be without Kyrie as he’s listed as questionable due to right shoulder soreness. Probably his shoulders are giving in after carrying the team single handedly on a nightly basis. But if there’s a championship at the end of it, Kyrie wouldn’t mind.