DALLAS — Luka Dončić clocked out early in an NBA Finals game again on Friday night, just as he had in such humiliating fashion when he fouled out with more than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter two nights before.
Only this time, with the scrutiny surrounding him spiking and his Dallas Mavericks facing a sweep by the Boston Celtics that would have embarrassed them all, this before-the-buzzer exit was the reward for a job well done. There were nearly six minutes left when he could be seen strolling through the back hallways of the American Airlines Arena, with the Mavs’ massive Game 4 lead offering him the well-deserved luxury to relax and rehabilitate while the reserves finished Dallas’ 122-84 win.
After sparking the most unexpected of routs with his controlled and aggressive play in his 13-point first quarter, then finishing with 29 points, five assists and five rebounds, Dončić even grabbed a beverage for good measure. And no, just in case the Mavericks’ Michael Finley is reading this and worries that he should have grabbed Dončić’s beer again like he famously did during their celebration of the West Finals win, this drink was the non-alcoholic variety.
Truth be told, someone should have handed Dončić a 12-pack with the way he responded to the barrage of criticism that came his way after Game 3.
Anyone who heard Mavericks coach Jason Kidd talk to reporters before the game could tell that this was an important Luka moment. The Hall of Famer who knew the superstar spotlight so well during his playing days, and who has established such a culture of player empowerment during his three seasons leading the Mavericks, decided to go all-in on the various members of the media who had been critical of Doncic after Game 3.
“Give my man a break,” he had said.
He didn’t name names, but some of those dots weren’t all that hard to connect. That wasn’t really the point of it all, either. The message, one that Kidd reiterated in a more informal setting with a small group of reporters after the game, was that Dončić deserves some grace when it comes to the discussion that surrounds him.
But this is a complicated topic, to be sure. On the one hand, there’s just no way that a five-time All-NBA player should be getting four fouls in eight minutes of a must-win Finals game that will likely wind up deciding Dallas’ season. The whining to the refs that took place en route to his disqualification, and the on-court price that often gets paid when he does it, was inexcusable. Especially considering the stakes. The blow-by stats on the defensive end of the floor are ugly too.
What’s more, the awful optics of him shouting “You better f—ing challenge that” to his bench after his sixth foul in Game 3 were received even more poorly than normal because of the magnitude of this stage. When the audience grows, so too does the praise and judgment that comes from those watching. But there is, without a doubt, another side to that coin when it comes to how Dončić is analyzed.
Not only is he a 25-year-old who is playing in the Finals for the first time, he’s a 25-year-old who is dealing with three injuries that one would think make it pretty hard to be your best basketball self. There’s the left ankle soreness, the right knee sprain, and the thoracic contusion — aka chest injury — that has required painkilling injections all throughout this series in order for him to play. These facts should not be forgotten when we’re all figuring out what to make of this latest chapter in his fascinating journey.
Even without those ailments, there’s the harsh reality that most superstars who carry their team to this extent have to fail in the Finals before they figure it out. LeBron James, who Kidd routinely cites as his preferred comp for Dončić, got swept by San Antonio in 2007 and embarrassed by Dallas in 2011 (thanks, in part, to Kidd) before finally breaking through at the age of 27 in 2012. He had to get sonned by Tim Duncan, then punked by Dirk Nowitzki, before figuring out what it truly took to get his hands on that Larry O’Brien trophy. And as is the case with Dončić, there were immaturity issues along the way, too.
But regardless of what comes next, Dončić showed the basketball world that he is ready and willing to take the next step. He had taken the time to explain his Game 3 actions in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, sharing how he’d apologized to his team for his behavior and confirming the reports that he needed painkilling shots to keep going in this matchup. He was poised in those crucial early moments of Game 4, when there was noticeable difference in his defense and a desperation that ultimately kept Dallas’ season alive. And by the time the second half rolled around, when the Mavericks’ defense that had defined their late-season turnaround ramped up and the Celtics just kept missing all those shots that fell in the first three games, it was clear that Dončić had redeemed himself in the kind of way that should lessen the sting of the discussion about him this summer.
“He was Luka,” Kidd said in his press conference afterward. “He’s been Luka. There wasn’t a different Luka out there. He played at a high level. He was great. He’s been great. He’s one of the best players in the world. As much as we want to criticize, he’s a hell of a player.”
That part is indisputably true.
But Dončić’s three steals, perhaps more than any other part of his night, showed that he was willing and able to play the kind of two-way basketball that it takes to get the job done this time of year. In his 448 previous regular season and postseason games, he had only reached that mark 55 times (12.3 percent).
As Dončić shared afterward, Kidd didn’t share his frustrations with the media with Dončić between these past two games. Instead, he let his voice be heard for the masses during a time that Dončić needed his public support.
“He didn’t say anything to me specifically,” Dončić said. “But that speaks a lot about him. He always has players’ backs. He always supports us. That’s a big thing, to have a coach like that.”
The last word of the evening was quite fitting. Kyrie Irving, who knows a thing or two about getting eviscerated in the public space, came to the defense of his co-star who found a way to fight another day in these Finals.
“I think he made a few people eat their words — in a healthy way,” Irving said. “I’ll say that — in a healthy way. I don’t want to curse up here or anything like that, get into any unnecessary beef, right, between us as players and the media.
“(But) I think this is his first opportunity and first taste of what it’s like to be on this stage, and to not play up to your capabilities or be out there toward the end of the game where every mistake is magnified. I think that’s probably what I’m really referring to, is when every mistake is magnified, there is going to be a response. That’s (the media’s) job to give us your criticism. We go home and deal with it in a healthy way, hopefully. I think with Luka, like I’ve been reiterating to the guys, stay off social media as best you can, man. Enjoy the moment we’re in. It’s not about making it this far. It’s figuring out the little nuances to get wins on this stage. That’s what it’s about for us as competitors and that’s where our focus should be. He responded very well. I expected it. I think a lot of people expected it, (people) that have seen Luka and known Luka. I just didn’t know how it was going to happen. He made some things happen tonight that I was very proud of him. He grew.”
(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
