Several members of the squad spoke to the press to try to explain what had happened in this final clash, played at the San Francisco Chase Center.
“Now what it is about is what appetite we are going to see next season. Are we going to be hungry? Are we going to train this summer to understand what it means to play until May or June?”. With this touch of attention, accurate in the breech, from a coach who in Dallas won the franchise’s only title as a player (2011), Jason Kidd made the final reflection between what has ended up being an intense ending and what it can bring next year. Without him mentioning it, he sends a message to a squad that begins with Luka Doncic, out of shape at the start of the last two seasons and “humiliated” in his day for the comments generated by his weight, who has not taken care of the breaks either and has reached the heroic for his quality but without more gasoline in the reserve. Jason, with whom he has given himself a new touch in his first season in charge of these Mavs, credits Luka for what he has achieved despite losing badly with the Warriors: “We will agree that it was not his best game, but this is a great lesson for him and for everyone”. The trainer sent, incidentally, a message to the managers: “Luka carries the weight better than anyone and we as a team will help lighten that load as we go. This group has fought. We didn’t have a second star, we had a team. We’ve laid the groundwork and now we can start building.”.
In addition to Kidd, players like Dinwiddie or Brunson, along with Luka Doncic, spoke.
The Slovenian expressed his frustration after a match “terrible”as he describes it: “I don’t like losing, but especially like this”. However, he gave credit to how his teammates have supported him during the year: “I am very proud. I love this team”. Make sure you feel “genial” when looking at the progress from year to year: “I think this year we have taken a big step. Or maybe two. We are on a very good path”. He admitted that fitness has been a factor, noting that he has had little rest since 2020 with the Olympics in between, and it’s time to relax: “I’m going to probably take a week without basketball”.
Dinwiddie looked back on his mid-term transfer to give thanks for coming to a team with aspirations: “It’s a blessing to play basketball that matters, the fun one, with a group of guys who genuinely like being around each other”. The shooting guard, after shining in the Nets, played the first part of the season in the Wizards, in which he had problems of coexistence: “I’ve had two different years rolled into one”.
Brunson, for his part, was asked about his contractual situation, since he will be free from next month to sign for another franchise: “Whatever happens, will happen. Right now I’m not thinking about that. I focus on the fact that I’m very happy to have been able to play with these guys.”. Additionally, he added a comment about the aspirations at the beginning of this new era, with Kidd at the helm: “We’ve had a great time proving people wrong”.