Tag: Luka Doncic

3 shrewd decisions that helped the Mavericks make the 2024 NBA Finals

Here’s how the Mavericks’ boldness put them on the brink of an NBA championship.

The Dallas Mavericks weren’t supposed to be here.

I am not joking. They really were not supposed to be here, in the NBA Finals, on the brink of their second championship in franchise history.

On February 3, the Mavericks were just 26-23. They were a glorified play-in team praying for a favorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs. No one in their right mind saw this team playing June basketball. Then Luka Doncic started playing like an MVP-caliber superstar, the Mavericks made a whole host of ambitious moves at the annual NBA trade deadline, and they went 36-14 through the rest of the regular season and the entire Western Conference playoffs combined.

What a remarkable turnaround.

READ MORE: 3 smart decisions that got the Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals.

As Doncic and Co. prepare to battle the Celtics in what should be an epic Finals series, let’s recount how these Mavericks paved a path to the NBA’s championship round.

1. Finding Luka Doncic a real running mate 

After Dallas gave up on Kristaps Porzingis, it was clear that Doncic still needed a real No. 2 partner. The Mavericks needed someone who could take some of the tremendous offensive burden off Doncic’s hands and make them a more balanced team overall. They decided it would be Kyrie Irving, the electric guard with a skeptical recent past when they traded for him at last year’s deadline.

Initially, the fit with Doncic and Irving didn’t make much sense. Both players looked too ball-dominant. It was almost as if they didn’t know how to play together and successfully mesh their games into a winning brand of basketball. Labeling the Irving deal as a lost cause of broken chemistry and a case of the Mavericks fitting a square peg into a round hole with their backcourt was easy.

In extreme hindsight, it’s quite amusing that anyone ever questioned this fit. In Irving’s first full season with the Mavericks, he and Doncic flourished, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs. Together, both dynamite talents have inspired discussion about them being the best offensive backcourt in NBA history.

Together, this duo has the Celtics already wracking their brains on the defensive end:

They are, by far, the biggest reason Dallas qualified for the 2024 Finals. Sometimes, blockbuster trades work out for the better. Who knew?

2. A tank job for the ages 

This time last year, the Mavericks did not turn their season around on a dime. In fact, as the 2023 regular season came to a close, Dallas was four games under .500 with a slight prayer of qualifying for the play-in tournament. But rather than try and sprint through the finish line only to potentially get demolished by a top-seeded juggernaut, the Mavericks waved the white flag.

Dallas sat multiple starters and rotational players in each of its last two regular-season games to ensure it wouldn’t qualify for the play-in. Why? The Mavericks wanted a draft lottery pick, someone who could actually make an immediate impact on the team in the ensuing season when they tried to compete again.

This move turned out to be a stroke of genius as said lottery pick turned into rookie center Dereck Lively II. You know, the Mavericks’ fourth or even third-best player this season? You know, the guy who helped unlock Doncic as a “winning” player?

Yeah, that dude.

It only happened because the Dallas brass saw the forest for the trees instead of aimlessly qualifying for spring basketball, where it never had a realistic chance.

3. Some buy-low trades and an important lineup decision

Remember how I said the Mavericks were still straddling the line of relevancy in early February? Well, they didn’t sit on their hands. When it came time to make more deals at this year’s trade deadline, they went out and acquired not one but two crucial rotational players from two of the worst teams in the league, the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.

Enter center Daniel Gafford (ex-Wizard) and forward P.J. Washington (ex-Hornet).

Gafford has been a godsend to the Mavericks, giving them ample size that allowed them to flat-out bully the Western Conference playoff field. Meanwhile, Washington has been the kind of do-it-all-forward who takes the hardest perimeter defensive assignment every night and makes all the clutch corner 3-pointers.

Imagine acquiring two solid starters on a Finals team at one trade deadline. That’s what the Mavericks did.

When we go beyond these trades, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made a critical lineup decision this postseason: he effectively benched Tim Hardaway Jr.

Hardaway played nearly 27 minutes a game in the regular season, the equivalent of an entrenched sixth man. But in the playoffs, the guard was a matchup issue on both ends of the court — for his own team. Rather than see if Hardaway could play through it, Kidd made the executive decision to precipitously cut his minutes and hand out more playing time to younger, more effective role players like Jaden Hardy and Josh Green.

The Mavericks haven’t missed a beat ever since.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1373]

How will the Boston Celtics guard Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the 2024 NBA Finals?

However Boston does it, it won’t be easy.

The Boston Celtics will take the court to face the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals at the Celtics’ home arena of TD Garden this coming Thursday (June 6) night. Ahead of that finals collision, one of the most important topics currently under debate in the wider Celtics media sphere is how the Celtics plan on guarding star Mavs guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the finals.

The hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, recently did their best to guess, as well as getting into Jayson Tatum’s reflection on the 2018-19 season, and the latest Kristaps Porzingis injury update.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=590969556]

Luka Doncic to Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA crew: ‘We gotta figure out something’

Luka doesn’t want Inside the NBA to end!

This is a good reminder that Inside the NBA isn’t ending this year.

Turner has the NBA for one more season, although after that? There’s a lot of speculation and reporting that they won’t snag the league’s TV rights after that.

So when Charles Barkley told Luka Doncic he would miss the Dallas Mavericks superstar because the NBA Finals are broadcast by ESPN and ABC, Doncic said, “You ain’t done yet. We gotta figure out something.”

Ernie Johnson was quick to point out they’d be around next year, but: “Who knows after that?”

That’s a very sweet moment with Luka:

WATCH: Wisconsin legend Michael Finley steals beer from Luka Doncic in viral moment

WATCH: Wisconsin legend Michael Finley steals beer from Luka Doncic in viral moment

Wisconsin legend Michael Finley is the subject of a viral moment after the Dallas Mavericks’ 124-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

The win clinched the Mavericks’ trip to the NBA Finals. As one would expect, the postgame mood was celebratory.

Related: Ranking all Big Ten basketball arenas from worst to first

That includes star Luka Doncic, who the viral video shows standing outside the locker room with his father holding a beer — that until Finley walked by.

The Badger legend subtly took the beer out of Doncic’s hand before turning around and acting as if nothing happened. The reposted video on X now has more than six million views.

Finley, now Dallas’ Assistant General Manager, played 17 years in the NBA including nine with the Mavericks (1996-2005). His NBA accolades include an NBA title in 2007, two All-Star appearances and a spot on the All-Rookie First Team in 1996.

He played at Wisconsin from 1991-1995 and retired as the program’s all-time leading scorer — a mark that was later broken by Alando Tucker. Finley’s Badger career included two First-Team All-Big Ten nominations and his No. 24 jersey being retired by the program.

The former Badger is now rising the ranks in the NBA front office world. There is no backstory to his viral moment, but it occurred under pretty good circumstances for him, Doncic and the Mavericks.

Dallas will face the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for June 6 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

[lawrence-related id=77546,77221,77325,77526,77518]

Luka Doncic made the funniest face when Mavericks VP Michael Finley stole a beer from him

Luka looked like he was in a sitcom after the Mavericks VP stole his beer.

Michael Finley had nearly 1,000 steals in his terrific NBA career.

Now, add one more for the ex-forward, now VP of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks, who are off to the 2024 NBA Finals.

A video captured by Mavericks beat writer Grant Afseth showed Luka Doncic celebrating his monster game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with his dad. He was holding a beer, when Finley came over, casually took the brew, gave Doncic’s dad a hug and walked away.

The look on Doncic’s face was perfect, straight out of a sitcom, further proving Luka is the best and is quite hilarious.

Check it out:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1373]

 

 

Social media reacts to Mavs winning Game 5 vs. Timberwolves: ‘Luka Doncic had Snoop Dogg flabbergasted’

The Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Luka Doncic was unstoppable with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists …

The Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Luka Doncic was unstoppable with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while Kyrie Irving added 36 points. Those two outscored Minnesota in the first half 44 to 40.

Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 56 points but it wasn’t enough to force Game 6.

Here’s how social media reacted to the Mavs winning Game 5.

Snoop Dogg had a stunned reaction to Luka Doncic screaming NSFW stuff at an NBA fan

Snoop Dogg reacting to Luka Doncic’s NSFW taunting at an NBA fan was priceless.

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic responded to taunting from a Minnesota Timberwolves fan on Thursday night with a pretty epic, NSFW taunt of his own.

After he got a two-point shot and drew a foul, Doncic yelled something very funny and very inappropriate at an NBA fan in the stands who was taunting the Mavs player earlier in the game, per The Dallas Morning News’ Mike Curtis.

While the TNT broadcast thought the Doncic taunt was aimed at Snoop Dogg, the legendary rapper just happened to be within earshot of Doncic and had a delightful reaction on the sideline to the exchange.

Alright, if that’s not one of the best moments of the 2024 NBA playoffs so far, we’re not really sure what is.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1373]

Luka Doncic won’t reveal what he said to Anthony Edwards during Game 3 but fans have some hysterical theories

Whatever Luka said to Anthony Edwards, it was definitely NSFW.

Luka Doncic may have said something diabolical to Anthony Edwards at the end of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, and fans are having a field day guessing what he said.

Luka, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavs are playing absolutely stellar during their series with the Timberwolves. Every time Minnesota gets remotely close to dominating, the whole gang doesn’t even flinch. They just come back harder. (I mean, look at this Luka lob to Daniel Gafford. FILTHY stuff.)

Game 3 might just be the game that helps Dallas eventually win the series, and it seems that Luka Doncic knows that. As the game was winding down, Luka was casually chatting with Anthony Edwards — very reminiscent of a moment with Devin Booker a few years back.

Postgame, Luka was asked what he said to Anthony Edwards, but refused to say what the two were chatting about.

However, fans are guessing, and the results are hysterical. Here’s what people are sharing:

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 tag=421393248]

Draymond Green reacts to Luka Doncic’s game-winner vs. Timberwolves in Game 2

Draymond Green chimed in on Instagram after Luka Doncic’s clutch game-winner against the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.

After a fiery fourth-quarter appearance in Game 1 sealed the Dallas Mavericks’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Luka Doncic doubled down with another thrilling performance in Game 2.

After trailing by 18 in the second quarter, Doncic fueled the Mavs’ comeback in the second half. Doncic notched 32 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field with five made 3-pointers. Doncic finished with a triple-double with 13 assists and 10 boards in Game 2.

Doncic wrapped up his performance with a game-winning shot over the Defensive Player of the Year. As the clock ticked down, Doncic danced around Rudy Gobert before shaking free for a deep 3-pointer over the big Frenchman. Following his go-ahead 3 with three seconds remaining, Doncic barked at Gobert down the floor as the Target Center went quiet.

Following Doncic’s shot to give the Mavs a commanding 2-0 lead over the Timberwolves, Draymond Green chimed in on Instagram with a reaction. Green called out the look on Jaden McDaniels’ face before Doncic pulled up for his 3-pointer over Gobert.

Via @NBCSWarriors on X:

https://x.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1794405388780962236

With the Mavericks already holding a 2-0 lead over the Timberwolves, the Western Conference finals shift to Dallas for two games starting on Sunday at 5 p.m. PT.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and X! 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Luka Doncic hilariously denies NSFW comment after hitting Game 2 winner over Rudy Gobert: I was speaking Slovenian

Luka isn’t revealing what he shouted at Rudy Gobert after his epic shot

Luka Doncic might as well have told NBA lip-readers to get ready to learn Slovenian.

Fans were certain they caught the Dallas Mavericks superstar using a NSFW, but completely earned phrase after hitting a go-ahead step-back three over reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert on Friday night to give his team a 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals.

It sure looked like Doncic said “he can’t [expletive] guard me” after putting Dallas up 109-108 with three seconds left in the fourth quarter, but he slyly told reporters afterwards he was just shouting in his native Slovenian.

Take a look:

Doncic’s words in the press conference certainly send a much different message than his smile and shrug while saying them.

If there are any lip-readers who also speak Slovenian, it’s time to reach out to an NBA fan and confirm or deny what Doncic would like us all to believe.