KYRIE IRVING'S FACE beamed with a big smile as he approached Cooper Flagg near the Dallas Mavericks' bench, a stark contrast to the American Airlines Center scoreboard at that moment.
It was midway through the third quarter of the season opener, and hardly anything had gone as hoped for Flagg at that point of his heavily anticipated NBA debut. He had more turnovers than points as Dallas trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 15 when Flagg stepped back onto the floor after a timeout before stopping to listen as Irving approached him, the veteran clapping animatedly and offering good vibes along with words of encouragement.