Mavericks do Kyrie Irving a great favor that no one thought was possible

The Dallas Mavericks blew out the Miami Heat on Wednesday night by a score of 111-92, as Dallas' defense continued to stand tall despite being on the second night of a back-to-back. The Mavericks have now won 16 out of 18 games, as they are hitting on all cylinders heading into the playoffs.

One consistent theme in some of the Mavericks recent victories have been how the Mavericks have been finding different ways to win games, as Dallas was able to survive a steep depreciation in shooting efficiency in the second half against the Heat because of how stringent their defensive effort is.

While Dallas found it tougher to score against Miami's zone defense in the second half, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were keeping the Mavericks' offense afloat all game through their tough shotmaking. Doncic had a rough shooting night from downtown, but him along with every other Maverick played extremely connected defense.

Irving on the other hand wasn't just playing well defensively, but also shot extremely efficiently from the field, as Irving finished with 25 points on 10-15 shooting from the field. Irving hit a variety of high-degree difficulty shots from all three levels during the contest, a microcosm of how consistent he's been all season for the Mavericks.

Mavericks do Kyrie Irving a great favor that no one thought was possible

Irving has been ridiculed by the national media for his inconsistencies in regards to games played within recent years, but he's completely turned that around with the Mavericks this season. Not only has Irving been consistent on the court baring some freakish minor injuries, but he's also been a consistent leader and the definitive second best player on this Mavericks team all season long.

This consistency has earned Irving a monetary reward from the Mavericks, as Irving got a $1 million bonus within his contract if Dallas won at least 50 games. The Mavericks would not be at the fifth seed right now without Irving playing 31 straight games, as it's the most amount of games Irving has played in a row since his Cleveland days.

When you take into consideration how many games Irving has played in a row to close the regular season, this isn't even a feat that seemed realistic for Irving to reach when you consider the volume of games that he had missed around the January-February mark of the season. That being said, this bonus is extremely well deserved for Irving, and it couldn't come at a better time as the Mavericks gear up for their first-round matchup against the LA Clippers.

This bonus seemed extremely unlikely for Irving even a month or two ago considering where the Mavs were in the standings, and his play next to Doncic has been a massive reason that the Mavs are considered a top contender in the NBA.

The Mavericks continue to do the impossible as they remain the hottest team in the NBA, and their mindset is extremely focused right now.

For more on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA Playoffs, stay tuned as we'll have you covered.