There hasn’t been much to get excited about for the Dallas Mavericks through the first two games of the 2024 NBA Finals. They are down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics despite some strong offensive performances from Luka Doncic.
Doncic scored 30 points in Game 1 on 12-of-26 shooting from the field, knocking down four 3-pointers. In Game 2, he recorded a 32-point triple-double, going 12-of-21 from the field with another four 3-pointers.
While the offensive production has been there, it has been more than negated by Luka Doncic’s performance on the defensive end. He has given the Dallas Mavericks less than nothing defensively, as the Celtics are blowing by him with regularity.
In Game 2 alone, Boston blew by him on 13 drives. That is the most allowed by a player in a single game in the last 10 possessions. In a video breakdown shared by Chiney Ogwumike on NBA on ESPN, Doncic doesn’t even look like he is trying to slow opponents down at the point of attack.
Some of his lack of movement defensively can certainly be attributed to the injuries he is battling though. Luka Doncic has been dealing with a knee sprain and needed a pain-killing injection for a thoracic issue ahead of Game 2. Also, he isn’t the only player that needs to lock in, as Kyrie Irving has also struggled.
While Doncic is certainly hurting, he needs to give the Dallas Mavericks more on the defensive end if they are going to have any chance of getting back into this series. We know that he is capable of it, as he locked in against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the Western Conference Finals.
He played a major role in that series is over in five games not only with his offensive performance but heads up the defense as well. The tone was set early in the series when he was playing great help defense in the halfcourt and taking the onus of trying to slow down Anthony Edwards at times too.
That kind of effort and energy level is imperative to win an NBA Title. If the Dallas Mavericks cannot get Luka Doncic to engage as he did in the Western Conference Finals, they are going to be sent home early by the Celtics.
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