I see a lot of the same stuff being said about Luka Doncic after Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals — how he was a sieve on defense, how he complains too much to referees and so on.
And you know what? It’s all correct, including something that ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said after the Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks to be one win away from a title.
“He’s going to have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience,” Windhorst said. “His defensive performance is unacceptable. He’s a hole on the court, the Celtics are attacking him.”
He added that the Mavs have “pleaded with him” to stop complaining about officials so much, which is costly.
Here, watch:
Brian Windhorst BLASTS Luka Dončić on 'SportsCenter with SVP' after Game 3 of the NBA Finals. 🏀🔥🔥🔥
(Doris Burke also called out Luka's defensive effort on the ESPN on ABC broadcast: https://t.co/iAs1rZSpdI ) pic.twitter.com/rGlFwPYwNN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 13, 2024
Yep. Spot on. Also, this:
I love you Luka but this is unacceptable in the nba finals.
You can’t foul bait on 2 straight possessions and fall to the floor, then complain to the refs and allow 2 straight easy baskets on the other hand. pic.twitter.com/NxP8hQd8ax
— 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 (@SixthManJake) June 13, 2024
Luka is a superstar, no doubt about it. But for him to take himself and the Mavericks to that next level, he’s got to learn. And hey, let’s remember he’s young! He’s 25 and is in his first NBA Finals. Plenty of players in his position have found that last part of their game to unlock to lead a team to a championship.
But there’s the blueprint, right there.
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