Kyrie Irving, once an NBA Cup skeptic, has become a believer

DALLAS — When the NBA launched the In-Season Tournament in 2023, Kyrie Irving was unsure about the concept. Three years later, Irving said he has gotten more comfortable with the idea of the NBA handing out a trophy prior to Christmas and sees value in gunning to win the NBA Cup. “I think I understand the concept of it now and what it means for the fandom of basketball,” Irving said. “And just getting your legs up underneath you. … The Knicks and the Spurs last year, we saw them in the Finals. I think there is some correlation to playing well early in the season and that leading to success later on down the line.” If the Dallas Mavericks are able to make some noise in this year’s in-season tournament, they will have a reformed skeptic to thank. In his second home game back at American Airlines Center since returning from left knee surgery, Irving scored 35 points and distributed nine assists in the Mavericks’ 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets. Irving poured in 26 of those points in the second half. The one-two punch he formed with teenage co-star Cooper Flagg (33 points, nine rebounds, six assists) allowed the Mavericks to avenge the blowout loss they suffered to the Rockets in their regular-season opener only nine days earlier. “We really needed to have possessions where it mattered,” Irving said. “We’re going to be in a lot of games like this throughout this season.”