'No Eye-Rolls' As Dallas Mavs Reveal 'Gravity' In Win Streak

Kyrie Irving and Cooper Flagg combined for 78 points Monday night in the Dallas Mavs' 125-122 win over the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center and in doing so revealed a couple of keys to their chemistry.

One is about "eye-rolls.''

The other is about "gravity.''

Flagg scored a season-high 43 points with 10 rebounds and six assists, and that is special enough.

But combine that with the work of Irving, who made 7 of his 10 3-point attempts on his way to 35 points and was plus-29 in 38 minutes?

That takes a special level of unselfishness, which new Mavs coach Dusty May is a strategic advantage for a Dallas team that has now won three straight to move to 7-4.

“How well they complement each other, and how committed they are to simply trying to find a way to win, whatever this game needs,” May said in characterizing the pair. “It’s a unique deal where coming out of a timeout, we may draw up a play for one of them just because the other one might have an all-league defender, or whatever the case, and they never roll their eyes.”

“They know when we’re going to one of the two,” May continued. “The other one’s very supportive because they have that much respect for each other. And they’re both just such good guys and great teammates.”

So that's the X's-and-O's edge.

But there's something else about this duo, which critics foolishly predicted couldn't work because Flagg is 19 and Ai is 34.

It's "gravity.''

"Just having him out there, his gravity, opening the floor for everybody else, makes my life so much easier,'' said Flagg of Irving, who of course did not play during Flagg's 20225-26 rookie season while he rehabbed his knee.

But now, together?

Flagg is averaging points, rebounds, and assists, and Irving is averaging points in eight.

Flagg turns 20 on Dec. 21, part of the reason logic suggests that for Dallas - which won just 26 games last year - there's no where to go but up.

“We keep calling him a teenager, but he plays way beyond his years, and gotta give him his flowers,” Irving said. “And just the way he’s always in attack mode, or the way he sees the game, and he’s always getting others involved, very selfless.''

Added Flagg: "Every night is going to be somebody else’s night, and we know that’s our identity, and we’re making the right plays, and no matter what, we’re trusting each other ... Tonight, me and Kai had it going, and there’s hopefully going to be a lot of nights like that.”