Luka Doncic produced a 32-point triple double during Sunday’s Game 2 showing for Dallas, though coughed up eight turnovers – Boston had 10 as a team – and missed four of eight free-throw attempts, pointing to those two factors as a key reason behind their 105-98 defeat. While it’s natural for their franchise centrepiece to absorb blame, their shortcomings are much deeper than that.
Luka can clean it up, but P.J. and others must improve too
Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics
NBA Finals, Game 3 (Boston lead 2-0)
Tip-off after 1.30am BST, Thursday
- Unsettling: Doncic had 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists on Sunday night – joining LeBron James, Charles Barkley and Jerry West as the only players in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double in a Finals loss
- Playing through pain: Doncic has been playing through a sprained right knee, left ankle soreness in the playoffs and now a thoracic contusion sustained during Game 1’s blowout defeat adding to those injury woes
- “I would take the brunt of the responsibility, the first two games weren’t the best for me,” Kyrie Irving acknowledged after Game 2 defeat that he needs to be better. The 2016 NBA champion and Doncic’s star guard partner, scored 28 points on 13-of-37 shooting, scoreless on eight 3PT attempts
HIS head coach and star teammate don’t seem to think so, even if he’ll tell everyone – the media, his teammates and all besides – that he is to blame. New York Knicks guard Josh Hart perhaps said it best during ESPN’s postgame coverage, Dallas need to free Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving from constantly dominating ball-handling duties.
For all the talk of their midseason acquisitions and how impactful they’ve been to energise a youthful core, the Mavericks don’t boast the same depth nor weapons that Boston can when one, or both, their best players aren’t performing efficiently.
Jayson Tatum hasn’t found his shot yet and is still proving effective on both ends of the floor, while Jaylen Brown leaked six turnovers and hit just one of his five three-point attempts on Sunday night – up stepped 2021 NBA champion Jrue Holiday.
It leaves the Mavericks in a tough spot now looking to protect home court, aware of the statistic showing 86% of teams who lead 2-0 in the NBA Finals eventually win it all (31-5 series record). Doncic’s historical numbers alone can’t detract from that.
“No matter what he says, that’s just who he is – a leader, it’s not all on him – he put us in a position, was really good, we just couldn’t get over the hump. I thought our defence was really good, got to take care of the ball.”
- Mavericks HC Jason Kidd wasn’t fazed by Doncic’s postgame comments
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes via ESPN unless stated
Mo and Sports 