Tag: Luka Doncic

Luka Dončić won’t be playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics because of Giannis Antetokounmpo

Well, this is fascinating.

If you were hoping to see Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić play in the 2024 Paris Olympics, you might want to take up some of your complaints about that not happening with Greece and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo and the Greece men’s national team eliminated Dončić and the Slovenia men’s national team in the Olympic qualifying tournament on Saturday, 96-68, which means Dončić and Slovenia won’t be eligible for competition in Paris.

“They played way better than us. They were way more aggressive,” Doncic said of the loss to Greece, via ESPN. “I think they have an amazing team. Obviously, they have Giannis. But other pieces are very important for them too. And they’re very well-coached. … They outplayed us today.”

It’s a fascinating wrinkle for two NBA superstars, as Antetokounmpo is vying for his first-ever Olympic berth with Greece. He’s a win away from making that happen, per ESPN.

We’ll see if at least one of these two NBA superstars can make it to France later this month.

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Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum wins his first NBA title as Celtics defeat Dallas 4-1

Boston closes out the Dallas Mavericks for 18th NBA Title, giving former Duke star Jayson Tatum his first ring.

On Monday evening, a new NBA champion was crowned.

It’s from a familiar franchise, too. The Boston Celtics, led by former Duke star [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], won their 18th NBA title after dismantling [autotag]Kyrie Irving[/autotag], Luka Doncic, [autotag]Dereck Lively II[/autotag], and the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 to wrap up a 4-1 series victory in front of a packed TD Garden crowd in Boston.

The Celtics entered the night with a massive chip on their shoulder after getting wrecked by the Mavericks down in Dallas for Game 4. The Mavericks blasted the Celtics by 40 points on Friday night to keep the series alive, and the Celtics came out ready to play and end the series. The Celtics closed the first quarter of Game 5 on a 9-0 run and never looked back.

For Tatum, years of failures and media slander now become noise. He’s cemented himself in basketball history as one of the stars of a championship-winning team for one of the sport’s most prestigious franchises.

Tatum joins a small list of seven other former Duke players to win an NBA title. Jack White was the most recent in 2023 as a member of the Denver Nuggets.

The former No. 3 pick out of Duke is now an NBA champion, a four-time All-NBA selection, and a five-time All-Star. On top of his championship, he is now set for a record-setting contract extension to make him the league’s highest-paid player. And for a few weeks, he’ll rest and then prepare himself to get ready to play in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris with Team USA.

Social media reacts to Celtics winning NBA Finals vs. Mavericks: ‘Kyrie stomped on the logo and then got stomped out’

The Boston Celtics claimed their 18th title after a commanding 106-88 victory in Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks. Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and dished 11 assists while Jaylen Brown added 19 points and eight rebounds. Luka Doncic and Kyrie …

The Boston Celtics claimed their 18th title after a commanding 106-88 victory in Game 5 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Jayson Tatum scored 31 points and dished 11 assists while Jaylen Brown added 19 points and eight rebounds. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 43 points as the Mavs shot 29.7 percent from three-point range.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Celtics winning the Finals for the first time since 2008 and the second time in the last 38 years.

Is Luka Doncic better than Larry Bird was with the Boston Celtics?

Most Boston fans will not hesitate to shoot such a proposition down with gusto. But what about someone who knew him well?

The trope has been out in the wild for some time now, but after seeing it up close and personal in the 2024 NBA Finals, it’s time to take the temperature of fans of the Boston Celtics. Is Luka Doncic better than Larry Bird was with the Celtics?

Most Boston fans will not hesitate to shoot such a proposition down with gusto. But what about someone who knew him well behind the scenes as a member of the media covering him in his heyday? Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay discussed whether or not Luka could be better than Larry on a recent episode of the eponymous CLNS Media “Bob Ryan, Jeff Goodman, and Gary Tanguay!” podcast.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Former Sixers guard Evan Turner calls out NBA for Luka Doncic fouling out

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner calls out the NBA for Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic fouling out in Game 3.

The Dallas Mavericks came up short in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday as their furious rally came up short. The Mavericks trailed the Boston Celtics by 21 before going on a 22-2 run to get back in the game, but then lost their superstar leader.

With 4:12 left in the game, Mavs star Luka Doncic picked up his sixth foul trying to draw a charge on Celtics star Jaylen Brown. Doncic begged the Mavs to challenge the call, they did, but the call was upheld which led to him being forced out of the game.

Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner took to Twitter and called out the NBA for allowing Doncic to foul out of the game in the finals.

The Sixers selected Turner No. 2 overall in the 2010 draft. He played 279 games for Philadelphia across four seasons with the Sixers.

Doncic and the Mavericks will look to keep their title hopes alive with a Game 4 win on Friday night at home.

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Kevin Garnett names the only player he feels will catch LeBron James’ scoring record

Has Kevin Garnett tabbed the right active superstar as the one who can surpass LeBron James as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer?

Where LeBron James ranks on the list of the greatest players in NBA history is a hot and polarizing debate. A growing number of people feel he deserves to be ranked No. 1 or No. 2, but of course, there are also many who think he ranks significantly lower than that.

The two biggest feathers in James’ cap when it comes to his legacy are his longevity, which is reaching a historic level, and the fact that he’s the all-time leading scorer in NBA history. In fact, no other basketball player in world history has scored as many points as he has.

It has led some to ask who among current players could perhaps surpass the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s career scoring mark someday. Retired Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett feels there is only one active player who can do it — Luka Doncic (h/t The Cold Wire).

In just six seasons and at the age of 25, Doncic has already assembled an impressive young resume. He has quickly scored 11,470 regular season points, and his 28.7 points per game career regular-season average is third all-time, behind only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

This year, he led the NBA with a mark of 33.9 points a game, to go along with 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per contest, as he has led his Dallas Mavericks to the championship series despite an underwhelming roster.

Many have criticized the Slovenia import for not being in tip-top shape. But if he gets on the treadmill or starts doing swim training to boost his stamina and endurance, and if he is lucky enough to avoid major injury, perhaps he will have a chance at surpassing James.

Of course, Doncic will have to want to play long enough in the league, and exactly how long he will have the desire to stick around is another question.

Is Boston’s Jaylen Brown better than Mavs’ wing Luka Doncic?

This was not a conversation many would even broach not that long ago.

The Boston Celtics took a commanding 3-0 lead in the 2024 NBA Finals after securing a 106-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in Texas’ American Airlines Arena. Star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown led the team with an impressive performance, finishing with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in 41 minutes of floor time.

CLNS Media reporters Bobby Manning and Josue Pavon, along with Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell, discussed the game after the final buzzer sounded, highlighting Brown’s standout performance, the team’s defensive efforts, and the strategic plays that contributed to this crucial win. And of course, who is better — Luka or Jaylen.

Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say!

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Luka Doncic acknowledged the holes in his game after an awful start to NBA Finals

Luka Doncic has to grow up.

By no means are the Dallas Mavericks technically out of these NBA Finals. It’s just that no one has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in league history, and it seems exceedingly unlikely Dallas will be the first team ever to do so — especially against Jaylen Brown and his juggernaut Boston Celtics.

Luka Doncic’s glaring shortcomings are arguably the biggest reason the Mavericks will already be fighting for their season this Friday night.

After carrying Dallas to the Finals, the 25-year-old superstar has struggled defensively as the Celtics have relentlessly targeted him. At the same time, Doncic has faded hard late in all three Finals games — even inexcusably fouling out of Game 3 — and showed an apparent (and not new) lack of conditioning that’s cost him and his teammates everything so far.

During his press conference on Thursday, Doncic admitted he has holes in his skill set. While the Finals aren’t over, it’s abundantly clear they’re something he’ll have to address for his Mavericks to win a title:

It’s not unprecedented for stars of Doncic’s mold to experience a little heartbreak before they finally break through. Losing and learning where you have to improve to succeed has been a rite of passage for every major star in NBA history. Everyone from Michael Jordan and LeBron James to Nikola Jokic went through this kind of challenging trial in some capacity.

Doncic knows what next steps he has to take to lift the Mavericks over the top. That’s half the battle. And no matter what happens during the rest of these Finals, he still has plenty of time to grow.

Fans turned the Brian Windhorst rant about Luka Doncic into a diss track with Kendrick Lamar beats

Meet the Dončićs.

The Celtics beat the Mavericks again in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals and are now just one win away from winning a championship.

After the game, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst joined SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt to discuss what he saw from both teams. He efficiently tore about nearly everything about the way Luka Doncic has played in this series so far against Boston.

It was a memorable appearance from Windhorst that you can watch in its entirety below, but it is more than worth your time.

RELATED: Brian Windhorst’s brutally honest take on Luka Doncic defense and complaining is spot on

Windhorst delivered quite a few memorable lines, including:

“I’m standing here in the Mavericks tunnel. Over there is the Celtics tunnel. That’s where the winners are. If Luka is going to ever be a winner coming out of this tunnel here, he’s going to have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience.”

He also added:

“His defense performance is unacceptable. He is a whole on the court.”

But this one stood out:

“They have begged him. They have talked with him. They have pleaded with him. He is costing his team because of how he treats the officials.”

Perhaps the most brutal was this:

“Maybe over the summer, somebody will get to him and nobody with the Mavericks or anybody else in his life has.”

The whole delivery sounded like a diss track, so fans took the time to edit that with famous beats for Windhorst.

“Meet The Grahams” by Kendrick Lamar (produced by Alchemist)

 

“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar (produced by Mustard)

“Ether” by Nas, produced by Ron Browz