The 2024 NBA Finals was supposed to be an epic showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. The two squads have shown incredible basketball throughout the postseason and were expected to see both teams pushing each other to the limit.
However, the Boston Celtics are now one game away from winning their 18th NBA title after beating the Mavericks in Game 3, 106-99. While the Mavs did everything in their power to get back into the game, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were just too good of a duo for the Mavs to control.
While there are plenty of talking points in Game 3, the biggest narrative has to be Luka Doncic’s disappointing display in Game 3. The 2024 MVP candidate was supposed to carry the Mavs into a spirited (albeit improbable) comeback, but the referees supposedly prevented him from playing his best basketball.
However, fans and analysts have a different take on Luka’s performance. Their assessment of the Slovenian star is merciless and hits at one of the core tenets of his play style.
Analysts and Dallas Mavericks fans believe Luka Doncic gave up on Game 3
Fans who watched the game believe that Luka Doncic gave up on the game at some point, and his final foul during the game’s last five minutes was a testament to his mentality at the time.
Per The Spun’s Andrew Holleran:
“This loss will be: 1st on Luka for quitting on defense every other possession and 2nd on Kidd for playing Hardaway at all. Just maddening,” one fan wrote.
“Luka is quitting,” one fan added.
“Luka quitting on defense is a problem,” another fan wrote.
“Luka needs to quit whining and crying on every possession and just play! Refs are letting them play so both teams need to accept it!” one fan added.
Indeed, defense isn’t Luka Doncic’s strongest suit. The 6’7″ guard doesn’t put much effort defensively compared to his diverse offensive arsenal. Due to this, Jason Kidd did everything he could to surround him with great defenders who could cover for him.
While that works in the regular season, it’s more difficult to hide Doncic in the Finals where the Celtics will constantly look to feed the ball to whoever he is guarding. He should have taken the initiative to be less sloppy on defense.
Doncic finished Game 3 with 27 points, six rebounds, six assists, and one steal, which are great postseason numbers. However, he should up his efforts defensively if he doesn’t want the Mavs to get swept by the Celtics.
It has to be asked if a shift in his defensive mentality would be too little, too late for the series as a whole.
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