Mavs hope Irving is the final piece to a championship team

The Brooklyn Nets’ recent teardown of the remainder of their “Big Three” was one of the most disheartening things for a basketball fan to see in recent memory. But you’ll have to excuse the Dallas Mavericks’ faithful if they don’t share that sentiment.

For in getting eight-time All Star point guard Kyrie Irving in a trade deadline deal, the Mavs may have vaulted themselves to the forefront of the playoff conversation in the Western Conference.

In his first four games since joining Dallas on Feb. 6, Irving has been a monster, averaging 28 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting, with seven assists and 1.3 steals. And from three-point range, he’s been blistering, with a 43 percent success rate.

His most impressive performance came against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 13, when down by 26 he led a furious charge with 26 fourth quarter points only to fall short on the final possession in a 124-121 loss at home.

Though his time in Brooklyn was a mix of at-times brilliant play, controversy and overall weirdness, the Mavericks hope the 30-year-old Australian can put all that behind him and focus on winning. They’re betting he can form a formidable tandem with their homegrown superstar Luka Doncic and lead the team up the West standings and into a top postseason seeding in the season’s final weeks.

Irving and the Mavs can be seen in action Monday, March 13, when they play host to the conference and division rival Memphis Grizzlies in a game airing on ESPN.

Full name: Kyrie Andrew

Irving

Birth date: March 23, 1992

Birthplace: Melbourne, Australia

Height/weight: 6 feet, 2 inches/195 pounds

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (2011-17),

Boston Celtics (2017-19), Brooklyn Nets (2019-23), Dallas Mavericks (2023-present)

College: Duke

Draft: Selected in the first round (first overall) by the Cavaliers in 2011

Position: Point guard No.: 2

Innisbrook Resort Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla.

HOCKEY

Sunday

12:30 p.m. TNT Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings. From Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.

3 p.m. TNT New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins. From PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

WPWR AHL Hockey Grand Rapids Griffins at Chicago Wolves. From Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

Tuesday

6 p.m. DISN Big City Greens Classic: Washington Capitals at New York Rangers. Featuring live, real-time volumetric animations of players and teams modeled after characters on Disney’s “Big City Greens.”

ESPN Washington Capitals at New York Rangers. From Madison Square Garden in New York.

7:30 p.m. NBCSCH Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks. From the United Center in Chicago.

Wednesday

6 p.m. TNT Colorado Avalanche at Toronto Maple Leafs. From Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

8:30 p.m. TNT Minnesota Wild at St. Louis Blues. From Enterprise Center in Saint Louis, Mo.

Saturday

7 p.m. WLS Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers. From Madison Square Garden in New York.

WPWR AHL Hockey Manitoba Moose at Chicago Wolves. From Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

Rugby

Saturday

12 p.m. WEEK WMAQ Six Nations Championship The annual northern hemisphere rugby union tournament.

Soccer

Sunday

9 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer West Ham United vs. Aston Villa. West Ham United is up against Aston Villa at London Stadium in matchround 27 of the Premier League. Villa won only one of the last 13 Premier League games against West Ham, a 1-0 win at Villa Park on May 9, 2015 thanks to a goal by Tom Cleverley.

11:30 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer Newcastle United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers. Newcastle United plays

Sportsquiz

Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park in matchround 27 of the Premier League. Wolves won only one of the last 19 top flight away games versus Newcastle, a 2-1 win on Dec. 9, 2018 with a 94th-minute winner by Matt Doherty.

Wednesday

2:30 p.m. USA Premier League Soccer Southampton vs. Brentford. From St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

Friday

3 p.m. USA Premier League Soccer

Nottingham Forest vs. Newcastle United. Nottingham Forest plays Newcastle United at City Ground in matchround 28 of the Premier League. Newcastle won one of its last seven league away games versus Forest, a 2-1 Premier League win on March 10, 1999 with a winning goal by Dietmar Hamann.

Saturday

10 a.m. USA Premier League Soccer

Southampton vs. Tottenham Hotspur. Southampton plays Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary’s Stadium in matchround 28 of the Premier League. Spurs won the reverse fixture 4-1 on the opening weekend thanks to goals by Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Mohammed Salisu (own goal) and Dejan Kulusevski.

12:30 p.m. USA Premier League Soccer Chelsea vs. Everton. Chelsea contests Everton at Stamford Bridge in matchround 28 of the 2022/23 Premier League. The Toffees have not won at Stamford Bridge in any competition since a 1-0 Premier League win on Nov. 26, 1994. Paul Rideout’s 39th minute goal won the game.

3 p.m. WFLD WYZZ MLS Soccer Los Angeles FC at Seattle Sounders FC. From Lumen Field in Seattle.

Wrestling

Thursday

6 p.m. ESPN Men’s College Wrestling NCAA Championships. From BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Friday

7 p.m. ESPN Men’s College Wrestling NCAA Championships. From BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Saturday

6 p.m. ESPN Men’s College Wrestling NCAA Championships. From BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.

BY GEORGE DICKIE

March Madness

Honors and achievements: Eight-time NBA All-Star; NBA champion (2016); NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014); NBA Rookie of the Year (2012); NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012); gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Questions:

1) Which team was the first to be crowned Division 1 men’s basketball champion in 1939?

2) Which team won 10 out of 12 national championships (including seven in a row) from 1964 to 1975?

3) Name the first and most recent teams to go undefeated en route to a national championship.

4) How many teams played in the 1939 tournament and for several years thereafter?

5) Which year was the championship game first televised?

Answers:

5) CBS televised the national championship game held in New York City in 1946, the same year that the tournament expanded to four teams

4) Two teams: an East and a West champion

3) San Francisco was first with a 29-0 -re cord in 1956. No team has gone undefeated since Indiana went 32-0 in 1976

2) UCLA

1) Oregon

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Took an Ax ('14) Billy

Clea DuVall, Christina Ricci.

Sorority Surrogate ('14) Chris Bruno, Mimi Kuzyk, Cassie Steele. < Cradle Did Fall ('21) Ali Liebert, Matreya Scarrwener, Kirsten Robek.

/(:15)

You May Now Kill the Bride ('16) Ashley Newbrough,Rocky Myers, Tammin Sursok

She Inherited Danger ('22)

"Pillow Talk or Pillow Fi ght"

Housewives-Atlanta "Peaches Divided"

33 122 244 SYFY (7:30) <++ The Purge ('13) Lena Headey, Ethan Hawke.

Housewives-Atlanta "Dropping the Ball"

(:15) <++ Demolition Man ('93) Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, Sylvester Stallone.

Housewives "Twirling With the Enemy"

Housewives-Atlanta "He Said, She Said"

<++ Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets ('17) Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen,Dane DeHaan.

(:45) <+ Gone in 60 Seconds Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Nicolas Ca ge.

Housewives-Atlanta "Flirting With Disaster"

Housewives-Atlanta "Mexi-Loco"

<+++ Zombieland ('09) Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson.

Housewives "With Friends Like These"

"Pizza PlayOffs"

<++ Con Air ('97)John Cusack, John Malkovich,Nicolas Cage.

Housewives-Atlanta "Mess Rehearsal"

Housewives-Atlanta "Final Curtain Call"

<++ The Day After Tomorrow ('04) Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Dennis Quaid. <+++ Independence Day

(:10) Parks "2017" (:50) Parks (:25) Parks "William Henry Harrison" Parks (:35) Parks (:10) The Office (:50) The Office (:25) The Office "Fun Run" The Office The Office <+++ Wedding Crashers ('05) Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Owen Wilson. <++ Step Brothers ('08)John C. Reilly,Will Ferrell. 35 105 242 USA Premier League Mornings (N) (Live) Premier League Soccer West Ham United vs. Aston Villa (N) (Live) Premier (N) (Live) Premier League Soccer Newcastle United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (N) (Live) Goal Zone (N) Law & Order: SV U "Trials" Law & Order: SV U "Shadow" Law & Order: SV U "Savior" Law & Order: SV U "Bedtime"

Friends Friends Friends Friends <++ Suicide Squad ('16)Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Will Smith. <++ Aquaman ('18) Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Jason Momoa. <+++ Shazam! ('19)Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Zachary Levi.

180 311 FREE (6:00) < Pirates of the Caribbean: The Cu <++++ Mary Poppins ('64) Dick Van Dyke,Glynis Johns, Julie Andrews <+++ Aladdin ('92) A genie helps Baghdad thief and princess. <+++ Ratatouille ('07)A French rat (Patton Oswalt) enjoys good food and lo ngs to become a chef. <+++ Coco ('17) eBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob Patrick Star SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob SpongeBob /(:15) < Cloudy With a Cha

Terrifying "Shadow Factory"

Pimple Popper

Octopus Lipoma"

Big City Greens Big City Greens Big City Greens Big City Greens Big City Greens Big City Greens

Abduction: Betty and Barney Hill Aliens in Alaska "Captured"

Pimple Popper "Scarry Scarry Night" Darcey "Drunken Slips

& Gretel

& Gretel in Alaska "Alien Flight Plan"

& Gretel

Mo Marvel's Mo Kiff (:55) Kiff /(:20) < Diary of a Wimpy Kid:

"Nightmare Below Zero"

"Above and Far Beyond" in Alaska "Men In Black"

(N)

Home Dream Home Dream Home Dream Home and Afraid "Poison Threat" (N) and Afraid "Hunted" (N) Naked "Bats and Monkeys" (N) Naked "Far From Paradise" (N) Naked and Afraid "Swamp Trouble" (N) Naked and Afraid "No Holds Barred" An MMA fighter and a professional paramedic. Naked "No Gear, No Fear" (N)

Home Dream Home Dream Home Dream Home Home Town "Grand Millennial" Home Town "Bones and Bugs" Home Town "First Time's the Charm" Home Town "A Solid Foundation" Home Town "The Family Tree" Home Town "Mississippi Made"

46 241 241 PARM Bar Rescue "Broke Black Sheep" Bar Rescue "Critters and Quitters" Bar RescueBar Rescue "Brawlin' Babes" Bar Rescue "Mother Doesn't Know Best " Bar Rescue "Owner on the Run" Bar Rescue "Wheels of Misfortune" Bar Rescue "All Blaze, No Glory"

50 236 E!

<+++ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 ('10)Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe.

<+++ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ('11) Rupert Grint,Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe.

57 38 245 TNT NCIS: New Orleans "Suspicious Minds" NCIS: New Orleans "Man on Fire" NCIS: New Orleans "Escape Plan" NCIS: New Orleans "Course Correction"

NHL on TNT (N)

Bar Rescue "Still Bill" Bar Rescue "Silence of the Ants"

E!'s Brunch at the Oscars 2023 (N)(Live) Red Carpet "Oscars 2023"A look at the stars and fashions at the 2023 Oscars (N) (Live)

NHL Hockey Boston Bruins at Detroit Red WingsFrom Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. (N) (Live)

Lone Star Law "Lake Showdown" Lone Star Law "Sparking Disaster" Lone Star "Actions Have Consequences"

Star Law "Bracing for Impact"

Star "Caught in the Crossfire"

NHL Hockey New York Ranger s at Pittsburgh Penguin s From PPG Paints Arena in Pitt sburgh. (N) (Live)

"Red, White and Big Game"

NHL on TNT (N)