The 2024 NBA Finals have not gone according to plan for the Dallas Mavericks. They are facing an uphill battle, trailing 3-0 in the series after their loss on Wednesday night at home. No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, as a comeback by the Mavericks would be historic.
If they want any chance of making this series competitive, they need better overall performance from their star Luka Doncic. Doncic has been a sieve on defense, leading to easy baskets for the Boston Celtics.
His performance offensively has not been enough to offset just how much of a negative he has been on defense. Head coach Jason Kidd spoke about the workload that Doncic is shouldering after Game 3.
“He’s definitely got a bull’s-eye on his chest,” Kidd said. “He’s got to be able to guard and understand that we’re there to protect him and help him if he does get beat. Again, he’s carrying a load offensively. They are putting him in every pick-and-roll and iso. He’s got to be able to play the game where he can rest on offense and let others carry the load.”
Resting on offense has been possible at times in the series. In Games 1 and 2, he was the only player consistently creating points on offense. In Game 3, Kyrie Irving stepped up, but it was not enough as the Dallas Mavericks trailed by as many as 21 points in the game.
Making a run in the fourth quarter, Luka Doncic picked up his sixth foul of the game, disqualifying him from the contest. There haven’t been enough contributions from the supporting cast, as the nine other players who got in the game for Dallas on Wednesday combined for only 37 points.
There are a lot of contributing factors to the Dallas Mavericks being in the hole they currently are. Luka Doncic being worn and targeted by the Celtics is arguably the biggest, as they are relentlessly attacking him and showing no signs of stopping.
The Dallas Mavericks will look to avoid elimination on Friday night when Game 4 is played at American Airlines Center. They are going to need a much better effort on both ends of the court from their star player to not get swept.
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