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In preparation for their NBA playoff debut against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks are led by the explosive pair of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers will play Game 1 of their first-round playoff series on Sunday. This will be Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic’s first postseason together as a backcourt. The Mavericks have developed a lineup that has resulted in an 18-9 record since the NBA All-Star break, including a 16-2 run that included the league’s best defensive rating to secure a top-five seed. This success has been attributed to the team defense, which has made substantial progress.

The Mavericks turned it up to achieve a 50-win season while emphatically answering any remaining questions from observers who may not have regularly observed Doncic and Irving operate next to each other throughout the season. There was a high degree of confidence in the pairing since the start despite going 5-11 with both superstars last season. In the 1,297 minutes they shared the floor this season, Dallas has outscored opponents by an impressive 10.5 points per 100 possessions while posting a 36-16 record in 51 games.

“I knew it since the beginning,” Doncic said. “It’s Kyrie Irving. Everybody knows how he can play basketball. I knew since the beginning.”

Since the origin of the backcourt partnership between Doncic and Irving, it has been well understood that a sufficient supporting cast was needed, particularly one capable of defending at a high level. The Mavs now have multiple rim protectors in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II while having the option to deploy wing defenders like Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, and Dante Exum. Additionally, Maxi Kleber, as a switching option in small-ball lineups, Dallas has formulated an impactful group.

Doncic finished the season well-positioned to earn a fifth consecutive All-NBA First-Team nod, averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds in 70 games. The results were not achieved at Irving’s expense, given his backcourt partner averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds. There is a clear synergy after going through training camp, experiencing a 12-day international preseason trip with stops in Abu Dhabi in Madrid, and having an entire regular season at their disposal.

“It’s a mutual respect there. When it was his time to take over games when it was my time to take over games, we allowed each other to do that,” Irving said. “We also had to have some mother f’r moments to challenge each other.

“I can look to Luka and be like, ‘Hey man, come on, turn this up a little bit,’ or he can be like, ‘Come on, Kai.’ He’ll say it in his language,” Irving explained.

Irving has an extensive history of thriving next to some of the NBA’s best players, Kevin Durant and LeBron James, along with plenty of others. Irving’s ability to create advantages off the dribble in isolation, attack off the catch, and be a versatile threat in any screening action while being a willing screener himself—all while even having a post arsenal—combine to make him an electrifying talent on or off the ball.

“For him to be able to be able to play with stars in this league – you could put him with the four best players in the world and you’re going to leave there talking about him,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “That’s just how his game translates.

“You put him with four MVPs, he’s going to be the guy that everyone’s going to continue to talk about because his game is that good. For him, the season’s been incredible. And as we go forward, we’re going to need his leadership, his experience, and (knowing) what it means to be a champion.”

Between having a next-level perspective of the game and holding themselves to a high standard, Irving credited those attributes for his superstar pairings leading to success, including his current tandem formed with Doncic.