SAN FRANCISCO Luka DoncicThe first thing he did after the conclusion of the longest playoff streak of his young NBA basketball career was to express sadness in himself.
Doncic stated that “I don’t like losing, especially as this,” after the event. Dallas Mavericks We were eliminated Thursday night by a 120-110 Game 5 The loss of the Golden State Warriors. “I played terrible.”
Doncic ended the season with 28 points and nine rebounds, six assists and six rebounds. However, it was far below his high standards, especially in possible elimination games. He was just 10-of-28 on the floor, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range. And he often failed to rebound after his missed shots.
Doncic scored 15 as Dallas rallied in third quarter. However, Dallas couldn’t overcome a 25 point deficit. This was partly due to Dallas’s poor performance in first half. He was only 2-of-12 from beyond the arc with three turnovers.
However, Doncic was Dallas’s 10th consecutive playoffs leader in assists, points, and rebounds, breaking the previous record. LeBron James For the third consecutive postseason, he had recorded the most of these appearances. To lead the Mavericks to the Western Conference finals, he averaged 31.7 points and 9.8 rebounds, as well as 6.4 assists.
Doncic stated that he was proud of the team’s season and said, “If you talk about our seasons, I think we should be talking about this season,” “Nobody could have brought us here. But I can assure you that we fought till the end. Warriors, congratulations. They were clearly the better team. But, I’m proud of this team.”
Steve Kerr, Warriors coach, described Doncic’s “impossible guard” status. Doncic, who is 23 years old, has already been a historical elite offensive threat in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to average at least 30 points per game in each of their first three postseasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Doncic stated that he is confident that the Mavs will be a champion team and said that he must make major defensive improvements to get there.
Doncic said that his defense needed to be better. He was regularly targeted by playoff rivals. “I think I made a significant step defensively this year, but there is so much to improve upon. This is where I need to improve. This is the spot I think can take us up a level.
Doncic also talked about the “great” relationship he formed with Jason Kidd (first-year Mavs Coach), a Hall of Fame pointguard whose on-court leadership played an important role in the Mavs’ sole title. Doncic stressed his trust in Kidd who challenged Doncic several times this season.
Doncic won his third consecutive All-NBA First-Team selection despite not having worked hard. He was more than 265 pounds when he arrived at training camp. However, he did not perform as well as a MVP candidate until December, when he had taken three weeks off to heal from his ankle injuries and to work on his conditioning.
Kidd didn’t mention Doncic in his postgame message to the Mavs, but it appeared that Kidd intended the message for the superstar, who will be spending much of the offseason playing with the Slovenian national soccer team.
“Now it’s over, what is our appetite for the next season?” Kidd stated. Kidd stated, “Are they going to tiptoe in the season? Or are we going hungry?” Also, how will we train this summer to learn what it means for us to play into May or June? Because it’s a long-season.”
Doncic has been making steady progress since his Rookie-of-the-Year campaign. These include a Dirk Nowitzki-esque one leg fadeaway and polishing the floater. Management at the Mavericks anticipates Doncic will be back in Dallas with more.
Mark Cuban, the Mavs governor said that this is what great players do. He’s a top three, top-one and top-two player in the league, and he will continue to improve. Some guys just are who they really are. Luka will continue to get better.” Luka will get better.”