In the aftermath of a brutal Game 3 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday, Mavericks guard Luka Doncic didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the officiating. During his chat with the media, Doncic took to calling out the refs for what he felt was a poorly called game.
“I mean, I don’t know. We couldn’t play physical so, I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing but six fouls in the NBA Finals… come on man, better than that.”
Luka Dončić on the officiating against him in Game 3: “I mean, I don’t know. We couldn’t play physical so, I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing but six fouls in the NBA Finals… come on man, better than that.” pic.twitter.com/rq0yxkDhKQ
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) June 13, 2024
The Mavericks attempted 16 free throws in the game, which is actually two more than the Celtics. Despite this, the Mavericks struggled to keep up with their competitors and couldn’t crack 100 points through four quarters.
Luka, 25, still managed to finish with 27 points on 40% shooting but they had no answer for the Celtics defensively. Tatum and Brown combined for 61 in the contest and led the charge for a Celtics team that had to go without Kristaps Porzingis.
Clearly, Luka is frustrated with the way this series is playing out and it’s hard to blame him. For a guy who is always griping about the referees, they were an easy scapegoat for this series-defining loss. No matter what Doncic or the Mavericks are doing, the Celtics always have an answer and they just look like the better team overall.
Unless Luka can pull off a miracle in these Finals, the outcome has already been determined and it’s not at all the result he wanted to see. truth be told, however, Doncic has nobody to blame but himself. His defense has been awful in the series and the Celtics have thrived off attacking him offensively time and time again. If Luka wants any hope of a comeback, he’ll need to show up on the other end of the floor instead of focusing his energy on the officiating.
Luka Doncic Says The Series Is Not Over Yet
History says that an 0-3 comeback is virtually impossible in the NBA but Luka is still holding out hope of leading his team to a win in this series. Speaking after the game, the Slovenian superstar opened up on the glimmer of hope that still remains for a historic comeback.
“It’s not over till it’s over. We just gotta believe. It’s first to four, we gotta stick together.”
"It's not over till it's over. We just gotta believe."
Luka Doncic speaks after the Mavericks went down 3-0 in the NBA Finals 🗣
(via @JoeyMistretta_ ) pic.twitter.com/Gy1NCBYJZU
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 13, 2024
Doncic sounds like a man who is dejected and defeated but he’s trying his best to speak with confidence. The 5x NBA All-Star shocked everyone by leading his team this far into the playoffs but now that they face an opponent that is rich with star power and depth across the board, they are struggling to keep up.
Doncic is arguably the most to blame for the Mavericks’ deficit in this series but things could change quickly if he starts to show some resistance defensively. This Friday will be the last chance for him to make amends for his performance and keep the Mavs’ season alive but the odds are not stacked in his favor.
The biggest thing for Doncic is probably focusing more on his efforts defensively rather than wasting so much time jawing at the refs. Clearly, it’s going to take some time for him to adapt and his statement after Game 3 shows that he’s still not over some of his old habits.
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