Luka Doncic managed to get his first-ever Finals win when his team had its back turned against the wall. After making it all the way to the 2024 NBA Finals, Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks ended up losing the first 3 games of the series to Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.
As a result, the majority of the NBA world expected the Celtics to sweep the Mavericks and win the NBA championship within 4 games. However, the Mavericks played desperately and handed the Celtics one of their worst losses this season. After the game had concluded, Luka was interviewed and asked about what his team did right in Game 3. Now that the context has been provided, let us take a closer look and find out more.
Luka Doncic credits the defensive energy that the entire Dallas Mavericks roster displayed
In the first 3 games of the series, the Celtics managed to hold the Mavericks to less than 100 points scored. However, Dallas turned things around in Game 4 by keeping the Celtics within 90 points. Their 38-point differential is the third-largest blowout in NBA Finals history. Only Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in 1998 and the Boston Celtics in 2008 managed to win Finals games with a bigger margin.
After the game had concluded, the Dallas Mavericks star was interviewed courtside and asked to share his thoughts regarding the success that his team had found and what went their way in this win-or-go-home finals game.
“Yeah, we knew we had to get it. We can’t lose no more… Like we always say, we gonna believe till the end….I think our energy. Our energy was way higher. Everybody was locked in on the defensive end and then we played with a higher pace…”
When asked about responding to his critics over his defense Luka kept things brief, “I don’t pay much attention. There’s always going to be criticism no matter what. I just stay focused and helped my team win.”
Luka Doncic even went on to claim that all the Dallas Mavericks need to do is replicate their performance from Game 4 in Game 5. If they are able to do so, they will be able to force a Game 6 back in Boston and get one step closer to making an incredible comeback.
Kyrie Irving reveals the advice he gave to his teammates before Game 4
The only player on the Dallas Mavericks with any Finals experience is Kyrie Irving. Therefore, the majority of the Dallas Mavericks likely look to Irving for guidance and mentorship on how to deal with the pressure. During a postgame interview, Irving shared more on the advice he gave his teammates heading into Game 4.
“I have a healthy relationship with social media now…Yesterday I was telling the guys as best as I can to just stay off social media. It’s not cool, it’s not okay to let other people’s opinions to get into our locker room. In my past, I’ve allowed that to happen and that leads to second-guessing thoughts and you don’t want that as a player coming out here…”
There is no denying that Kyrie had a very valid point. The impact of social media on a player is something that fans may not understand fully. It could leave a negative imprint and prevent them from playing freely. While there is no way of knowing if all of the Mavericks listened to Kyrie in this regard, his words undoubtedly had a positive impact and helped them avoid an early elimination.