By james art Anyone who wants to know the temperature of the Dallas Mavericks entering Thursday’s highly anticipated season opener against the Sun
Antonio Spurs, just ask guard Kyrie Irving.
“We’re in a great place right now,” Irving said after Monday’s practice. “I think a lot of us are motivated, we’re focused, we’re driven, we have clear priorities and we’re just ready for another long ride.
“I think the most important thing for us is just staying healthy and doing everything we can on our off days to better prepare for our opponents and also improve our film and communication as we prepare for matches.”
In other words, as one of the Mavs’ captains, Irving is urging his teammates to buckle down and prepare for another tough and aggressive run to the NBA Finals, where Dallas lost to the Boston Celtics last season in five games. Now he knows the Mavs have already tasted the Finals, they want to get back there and finish the job.
That’s why the intensity level in the training sessions during the training camp was at an all-time high. Especially since guard Luka Doncic returned last Friday after that 
dealing with a left calf injury that sidelined him for more than two weeks.
“It’s very important to build that continuity, build that trust and just finally have fun with everybody on the court,” Irving said. “It’s good to have a healthy group. We’re still relatively healthy – a few guys are down.
“But whenever me and Luca train, it’s going to be a very intense training session because we want to fight each other and we want to compete and we want to set a great example for the other guys and I think the other guys feel the same way about us. We want to do as hard as we can to make practice a little bit harder than games.”
With players like Klay Thompson, Derek Lively II, Naji Marshall, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie, Maxi Kleber, Dante Exum and Doncic on board, Irving knows the Mavs can control the game and beat teams in a variety of ways.
“I think we can show you better than explain it because I can look at all the parts that we have,” Irving said. “Training has been fun, just getting a feel for the distance out there, Luca is back here and he’s started doing all his magical Luca stuff, and the guys have got to be ready to play from that. And I think that’s the beauty of it.
“We’ve got guys you can play off of here, guys you can throw the ball to and (isolate), guys who are willing to play unselfishly, and then understanding that when we’re out there and guys are playing (isolate basketball), it is not only our strong point. We have other opportunities that we can have there.”
Still, at the end of the day, Irving and probably everyone else in the free world already knows how teams will attack the Mavs from a defensive standpoint.
“Teams are going to load up on me and Luca, so we have to do a better job as team leaders to be able to get off the ball, play different roles in 
court position and the rest of the good things will follow as long as we’re doing the right thing,” Irving said. “I think the two words for this year are consistency and discipline.
“And that’s what we want to live by every day that we come here. And also, how we treat our bodies and how we treat each other off the court (is important).”
The Mavs have certainly been in the tie-in business lately. Some of the players gathered at Thompson’s home in Los Angeles this summer, then the first four days of training camp, held in Las Vegas earlier this month, provided more bonding for the players.
And last week, while the Mavs were in Los Angeles for a preseason game against the Clippers, Irving invited his teammates to his home
use for more bonding moments. It was all part of everyone getting to know each other off the basketball court as they formed an alliance.
“It’s the little things that matter when you’re trying to get to know people,” Irving said. “When someone takes the initiative to invite you places – let alone invite you into their home – you don’t want to take it lightly.
“Not everyone is as open to it, especially in our league and our industry, it’s common for people to come together. But I feel like the teams that excel also have different relationships where they can talk to each other a little bit more because they’ve been off the court.”
Irving saw all of that connection play out last season when the Mavs made their unexpected run to the Finals.
“When the transition happened for us — or the change happened for us, the change — is when we started to develop that chemistry off the court and that started to lead to more confidence on the court,” Irving said. “This training camp and now, it’s all about being intentional with our time, whether we’re on the court together, 
or being very communicative, and when we’re off the court, just being regular and just making sure we’re there for each other.
“We’ve got some guys who are having babies or have had babies, we’ve got some new fathers (and) new family members added to that mix. So the tribe is growing and our family is growing and it’s just great because the community is just as much a part of it as what we do here and the support. So it’s nice to have an overall good feel for what we’re doing here and then off the court as well.”
Of course, the elephant in the Mavs is the offseason addition of Thompson, who was an integral part of four NBA championships during his 13-year tenure with the Golden State Warriors. Thompson is a great shooter, an incredible three-point shooter and the most complete free agent the Mavs have signed.
“I don’t take it for granted at all to be there with such a special talent, a special player and an even better person,” Irving said, describing Thompson. “It’s definitely a luxury I don’t take for granted every day. When you get to know him, he is an ordinary human being.
“He just stays alone, he loves his family, he loves helping people, he loves to travel. All in all, he’s a good guy. Again, it’s a luxury that we don’t take for granted to have that type of guy and that type of personality in our locker room.
While Irving played for Cleveland, the Cavaliers met Thompson and the Warriors three straight seasons in the NBA Finals. Thompson and the Warriors took the big prize over the Cavs in 2015 and ’17, and Irving and the Cavs won it all against the Warriors in 2016.
Thus, Irving is fully aware that he is experiencing a short offseason after reaching the Finals the previous season. That’s what the Mavs face now, trying to navigate their way.
“It’s a complicated process
if you haven’t been through that and it’s a tough process for anybody because you play so much basketball, you’re tired mentally, emotionally, physically,” Irving said. “And when you’re not the winning team, the summer is long. It’s a lot of scrutiny (and) criticism to deal with and it’s all fair in that sense because if you’re not playing well then you have to deal with it.
“I think that’s why I say our motivation is at a different level than last year, just because we know what to expect from each other. We delve into defensive concepts, and then offensively, we have talent from all over the world. We don’t necessarily have to worry about each other there. We just have to give each other space and be patient.”
Irving added that it is imperative for players to have a work-life balance.
“If anyone has had a parent who sacrificed most of their time to achieve their dream, they know what I’m talking about,” he said. “I know what it’s like to not have a work/life balance. Just being able to connect with guys on a deeper level makes this job even more valuable.
“Going to work and being comfortable with who you’re around and loving who you’re around — because I spend more time with them during the year, more than my family — it’s nice to like the guys you come to work with. Second, I would just say maturity. Just being able to put things into perspective. One game is not the end of the season. . .and we’ll take the best of them all. So this is no time to keep your head down or get angry at a mistake. It’s all a learning process, especially when you get into a long NBA season.”
FOR NOW, MAVS ARE FOCUSED ON THEMSELVES: Although the Mavs open the regular season at home on Thursday against Victor Wembayama and the San Antonio Spurs, that’s not their focus right now.
“It’s going to be Thursday’s game, but right now we’re still focused on ourselves,” coach Jason Kidd said. “San Antonio has a good coach, they have a young player
player in Victor and there are vets – (Harrison) Barnes and Chris Paul there – but we’ll start talking about them tomorrow and Wednesday.
“Today was more about us. Again, we’re working on the tempo, we’re working on the chemistry with Luka (Doncic), (Kyrie Irving) and Klay (Thompson), but also with the other guys. We try to look at different combinations to make sure we have enough on record to see and get guys into their rotations and understand who they’re playing.”
IN BRIEF: Forward Kessler Edwards (sprained left ankle) went through a full practice Monday for the first time since training camp began Oct. 1. That means every player was able to go through a full practice with the exception of guard Dante Exum, who recently underwent surgery on his right wrist. “During training camp and in the preseason, we’ve been crushed,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Being healthy here — almost 100 percent healthy going into the season — is a good thing. It doesn’t mean we’re going to automatically win games, but it’s a different team. We have some new guys, so the more healthy we are, the more they build that relationship, I think long-term we’ll be in a good position.” ..Kidd said the attention to detail in practice “is extremely high. And we need that. We can’t tiptoe into this season and we understand that. I think the guys did a great job of getting their work done and getting ready for the season.” .The Mavs’ depth should serve them well, according to Kidd. “I think the depth is really good,” he said. “You can see it in practice when you talk about intensity, high-level competition. It’s not personal. It’s about getting better and that’s what I like about this group so far. There’s a lot of nonsense being said, there’s a lot of pushing each other, and that’s in a positive way.”
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