Kyrie Irving hits out at boos from Mavericks fans as Dallas loses third straight game

Less than two months since his trade from the Nets, it appears the honeymoon period is already over between Kyrie Irving and Mavericks fans as he criticized the crowd on Friday night.

Dallas lost 117-109 to the lowly Hornets at home for their third straight defeat and fans at American Airlines Arena voiced their displeasure, booing their team during the game.

When Irving was asked about the boos following the game, he didn’t seem overly concerned with the fans’ opinions.

‘So? So what? Just the way I feel about it,’ Irving told reporters in Dallas.

‘I’ve been in New York City, so I know what that’s like. You obviously want to play well, but it’s only five people on the court that can play for the Dallas Mavericks. If the fans want to change places, then hey, be my guest. 

Kyrie Irving is already clashing with Mavericks fans less than two months after his arrival

But coach Jason Kidd was in agreement with the boos from fans after a lackluster start

Irving scored 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in Dallas’ loss to the Hornets

‘Got years of work ahead to be great enough to be on this level. But our focus isn’t necessarily on the boos. It should be on our performance and just being there for each other.’

While Irving was fairly dismissive of the boos, coach Jason Kidd fully agreed with them, calling the team’s effort in the first half ‘dogs**t.’

‘Probably should have been booed in the first quarter, just the effort in the play,’ he said of a first period where the Mavs allowed 37 points to Charlotte.

‘They [the fans] have a right [to boo], they paid to see a better show. It wasn’t there until the second half. We can’t come out like that, especially this time of the year.’

Dallas would go on to allow 69 points in the first half before their comeback attempts were unsuccessful over the final two quarters. 

While the Mavs would have hoped their February 5 trade with Brooklyn would have made the team a contender behind an elite Irving-Luka Doncic backcourt, the opposite has happened.

The team is 7-12 since Irving joined (Irving has missed five of those games) and 3-7 with Irving and Doncic in the starting five together.

Dallas is now on the outside looking in of the playoff picture, at just 11th in the West with a 36-38 record and a battle to make the play-in tournament ahead of them.

Meanwhile, Doncic admitted that there was ‘a lot going on’ in his private life and that it was affecting his play on the court.

‘Sometimes I don’t feel it’s me, just being out there,’ he said Friday. ‘I used to have more fun, smiling on [the] court.