“Let them foul you” - Kyrie Irving reveals message to rookie amid ‘hack-a-Dereck’ strategy

Kyrie Irving spearheaded the Dallas Mavericks to a gutsy 105-101 win over the top-seeded OKC Thunder on Saturday in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals. A key narrative from the game was Oklahoma City's decision to employ a Hack-a-Shaq strategy against Mavericks rookie center Dereck Lively II.

The Hack-A-Shaq was used against the strategy's namesake, Shaquille O'Neal, who was inefficient from the free throw line throughout his career.

The Thunder spotted that weakness with Mavs' rookie Lively, who was coming off a 50.0% free throw shooting debut season.

However, Lively dismantled the Thunder's plans. He went 8 of 12 from the charity stripe and hit four clutch free throws.

Kyrie Irving encouraged the rookie to keep his confidence high, which paid off.

“Let them foul you," Irving said. "Take it as a compliment. Man go up there and knock down your free throws, we believe in you."

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Kyrie Irving gets appreciated by Jason Kidd for his leadership

Following the game, coach Jason Kidd noted that Kyrie did a remarkable job to keep Dereck Lively's free throws in composure.

“Yeah, I thought he did a great job,”

Jason Kidd also shed light on how Dereck responded to OKC's hack-a-Dereck strategy:

“I thought Kai (Kyrie Irving) did a great job of talking to him on the bench, ‘don't run, just take the foul. Go make the free throws.' That I think helped with being comfortable.

"I think for a young man to be in that situation is great. As a rookie to be able to step up and make the free throws … Even better, if he didn't make it, we were able to rely on each other on the defensive end to get stops.

“So I thought no matter what happened at the free throw line the guys were in a great place on the defensive end.”

Lively had a strong performance off the bench on Saturday, contributing 12 points.

Impressively, he earned eight of those points from the free throw line. While shooting 8-of-12 from the line may not set any records, it was a noteworthy display for a center who typically shoots around 50%.

In the crucial last minutes of the fourth quarter, Lively was perfect from the line, hitting all four of his attempts. These points were vital for the Mavericks, helping secure a narrow four-point victory.

Without Lively's accuracy at the line, Kyrie Irving and Co. would have faced a tougher defensive challenge to clinch the win. At only 20, Lively rose to the occasion, meeting Irving's challenge with remarkable poise and effectiveness.