Kyrie Irving on Mavs' Race for 2023 NBA Playoffs: 'I'm at Peace with Just Our Effort'

Following another tough defeat for his team, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving refused to throw in the towel on any hopes of reaching the postseason.

The veteran guard told reporters after Sunday's 132-130 overtime defeat to the Atlanta Hawks the Mavs retain a "glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel of where we can still sneak in."

"But at the same time, I'm at peace with just our effort, with spurts throughout the games," Irving said. "We've just got to be able to finish better as a team."

Effort hasn't really been the issue for Dallas during its downward spiral in which the team has lost seven of its last eight. But the results speak for themselves.

The Mavericks were a flawed squad before they acquired Irving, and his arrival did little to address the porous defense plaguing them all year. They rank 23rd in defensive rating (115.9), per NBA.com.

The eight-time All-Star is correct that Dallas has a slim chance of making the play-in tournament, but that ship may have sailed already. The Mavs (37-42) are two games behind the ninth-place Minnesota Timberwolves and a game off the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final play-in berth. The Thunder (38-41) own the head-to-head tiebreaker as well.

Even if Jason Kidd's squad wins its final three games, that may not be enough to overtake Oklahoma City or Minnesota.