Surely he must listen to his eulogy while he was still alive after Andrew Wiggins read him his final rites in Game 3, but Luka Dončić has nothing to be ashamed of. The Dallas Mavericks star has led the NBA in scoring, but his odd results were futile against a Golden State Warriors team that played both sides as if they were part of a conglomeration.
Mavericks are lambs to slaughter the butchers of the West. Golden State is too dangerous right now. After five games in the Golden State meat grinder, a 110-120 loss sent them home in a gentleman’s sweep. In parallel with Luka being caught in the Tsunami of the Warriors are other superstars with bright futures. Cleaning your watch post-season with an unstoppable force in your early 20s is a ritual for generational stars. The response of the offices is what defines the careers of those superstars.
The Boston Celtics wiped out a young Chicago Bulls guard named Michael Jordan in 1986. Jordan’s iconic 63-point cataclysm inspired Larry Bird to call him “God in disguise.” . Jordan’s supporting cast on that Bulls ’86 included two top scorers Orlando Woolridge and Quintin Dailey, who missed the entire game with their hands on nose candy.
Before winning the first of his five titles, Kobe Bryant, who was not even of legal drinking age, was swept away by the Western Conference champions, Utah and later San Antonio in the consecutive postseasons, from 1998 to 1999, by the Western Conference champions, Utah and then San Antonio. Shaq’s Orlando Magic was knocked out the year before he and Penny advanced to the 1995 Finals – where they were wiped out by Houston.
LeBron James was a few months before his 23rd birthday when he was swept up in their early years by Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs reign. James’ first Finals stop in 2007 ended in a comeback against Spurs. That berth would not have been possible without one of the greatest men showing off this millennium. In the final 16 minutes of the fourth quarter and injury time, James robbed the Cavaliers 29 of their final 30 points, including 25 in a row, and won the match with 0.02 seconds remaining in the half. extra.
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The then 22-year-old James had twice as many points as his second-highest teammate that season. LeBron impressed with an average of 25.6 points per night, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas lagged with 12.6 points per game and Larry Hughes hit just 11.3 points, shooting 34% worse from the field.
Dirk Nowitzki may be related to Dončić. His only title in Dallas before that was an embarrassing loss to “We Believe the Warriors.” Had it not been for 2011, his lasting legacy would have been a defeat to eighth-seeded Golden State.
The Mavs can tinker during the season around Dončić as they did in assembling the 2011 Mavs roster that defeated The Heatles. Dirk Nowitzki’s colleagues on that team were a mix of veteran Tyson Chandler, Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and (one injured) Caron Butler. The Mav will have to get, or draft, an extra star to pair with Luka. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton both arrived in Milwaukee on the night of the 2013 draft. Middleton approved the trade and Giannis passed David Stern’s announcement of the 15h draft selection.
Who will be the second superstar to link up with Dončić? It might take a bit of Chicago and Orlando luck when drafting a Scottie Pippen or Penny Hardaway allowance game. Or San Antonio tapped Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker out of Argentina and France later in the draft.
It’s not for lack of trying. The Mavs think it might be Kristaps Porzingis. After giving up the Porzingis test on the trading deadline, Dallas soars like post-Lloyd Pierce Hawks. Their flash to the Conference final is reminiscent of Trae Young (the man to whom Dončić was traded on draft day) and Atlanta stormed the Eastern Conference finals last May. . Atlanta’s struggles this season are a warning that leaning on your laurels and leaning on your star to plug all the holes isn’t always feasible.
Pressure on General Manager Nico Harrison to assemble a complete team around Dončić will only escalate this season. LeBron had to leave Cleveland three years after his Finals debut to get help. Dallas is a more playable city than Cleveland, but despite being a metropolitan city in the top 5 in the US, they have never proven themselves to be a top destination for freelance agents. That’s partly because the superstars don’t want to be second to whatever the Cowboys are doing to soak up all the oxygen in Dallas every week.
Luka’s presence makes the Mavericks all the more attractive to pending freelance agents like Bradley Beal. Beal is the player Dallas should love in the Porzingis deal. The Wizards guard will provide the Mavs with a secondary pitcher with the ability to score to save Dončić, and at 28, he’s still in top form.
Their most important need is to be present inside the glass, and to be able to change shots when defending. Dwight Powell accumulated 10 rebounds in 5 games. Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic and Mitchell Robinson of the Knicks are just two of the more sought-after mammoth-sized free agents you can put on your free agent wish list. Maybe they could fund Rudy Gobert out of Utah in a deal? Luka’s ascent has only just begun. However, he needs an improved pool of talent at his disposal.
