Kyrie Irving shuts down Mavericks fans' worst injury fear at the perfect time

Last month, Dallas Mavericks fans feared that Kyrie Irving had suffered a serious back injury and that it could hinder his performance for the rest of the season.

Irving missed five games in January due to what the team ruled as a lumbar back sprain, but he later revealed to reporters that an MRI indicated that he was dealing with a bulging disk. In his return from a four-game absence on January 14, Irving struggled as he shot 4-18 from the field and finished with just 11 points in 30 minutes. This was not ideal for the Mavs, as they were already without Luka Doncic at that time, and his description of what he went through during the time of the injury after the game is what had fans concerned.

Irving said that the pain was "on and off" while he was out over those two weeks in January, and he couldn't meditate as he usually does due to the unbearable pain he was dealing with. He also talked about how there was an "uncomfortable feeling" that radiated through his legs while he was dealing with this bulging disk, and he even couldn't put his socks on while standing up. Irving was going through uncharted waters with this injury since he had never had a back injury before this, and that media availability session on January 14 in the locker room truly revealed the hardships that he was battling.

Kyrie Irving's back injury is firmly in the rearview mirror thing

The chilling details of what Irving went through with the bulging disk in his back had fans frightened that the injury could reappear as the season went on, but that has not been the case. Irving has been playing over 40 minutes per game in February, and when asked about how his back is feeling, he provided a strong message that Mavericks fans are going to love to hear.

"You're asking about my back," Irving asked. "My back is fine, don't put that in the air. My back is fine now, man."

Even with playing the most minutes per game in the NBA in February (41.4), Irving's body is handling this massive workload with strength and dominance, and it didn't seem like he had any concerns with having to play as much as he has. Irving shut down any concerns that his back injury is still around, and he seems ready to attack whatever role Jason Kidd assigns him.

"This comes with the job man," Irving said when asked about playing increased minutes. "These moments that I prepared for, start in the summertime. It's definitely a tall task to be ready to play 40-plus minutes, but at the same time, some of my predecessors have done it before me and led their team with everything and just left it all out there on the floor and I see no difference over here."

Despite Jason Kidd being "concerned" with how much they are having to play Irving right now, he said that he has handled it all professionally, and there have been no complaints from him. Kidd has been in an extremely tough position recently when it comes to injuries, and now especially with Anthony Davis out, Irving is having to carry a heavier offensive burden than ever before.

The Mavericks not acquiring another shot creator at the trade deadline definitely hurt them, and now they are having to deal with the consequences. Irving's dominance was able to lead them to a crucial win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night as he finished with 42 points and seven rebounds while shooting 7-10 from downtown, and Kidd and the Mavericks will need more of the same from him until some of the role players can return to the lineup and take some of that workload off of his plate.