Luka Doncic just pulled off a miracle for the Mavericks. In his 35-point performance against Phoenix on Sunday, Luka almost single-handedly overpowered the first-seeded Suns to win the series in Game 7.
Now set to appear in his first Conference Finals, Doncic was all smiles in his post-game chat with the media.
“I can’t get this smile off my face right now, I’m just really happy. Honestly, I think we deserved this,” said Doncic. “We’ve been playing hard the whole series — maybe a couple games here we weren’t ourselves. But we came here today for Game 7. We believed our luck, everybody believed. So, I’m just happy.”
Pretty emotional Doncic. “I can’t get this smile off my face.” pic.twitter.com/1VSuFLOz8q
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 16, 2022
There wasn’t a whole lot of faith in Dallas entering the playoffs. They were the underdogs early on and never looked to be in a position to make it to the Conference Finals.
Of course, the team always believed in their chances.
Guard Spencer Dinwiddie has never played in a Game 7, but said he’s knowledgeable to know: “These are the moments you live for. Obviously, Phoenix was the best team in the regular season (with a 64-18 record).
“Obviously they’re at home, hostile environment. But you know they also say Game 7 typically goes to the best player, and I believe we have that in this series. It’s going to be an exciting clash of styles.”
That “best player” Dinwiddie is referring to is Mavs superstar point guard Luka Doncic, who is averaging 32.2 points in this series and has given the Suns fits. If the Mavs’ supporting cast can hold their own, the Mavs will be able to pull off the upset of all upsets and dethrone the defending Western Conference champions.
The Mavs know they can effectively play in Phoenix. They just have to do it for a full four quarters.
The Mavericks should savor this victory, but they won’t have long to celebrate. In just three days, they’ll have to suit up for a matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who are experienced and extremely talented.
It will not be an easy task, by any means, but Luka and the Mavs are good enough to beat anyone and they should not be counted out any longer.
