There is no questioning Luka Doncic’s greatness on the basketball court. He is the very definition of a one-man offense, a heliocentric shot creator who not only can torch any defender in the NBA one on one, but also make his teammates better with how well he sets them up for open looks. But the Dallas Mavericks star has always been one of the most expressive players on the court when it comes to showing his disdain for certain officiating decisions that go against him and his team.
In fact, it even got to the point where TNT color commentator Grant Hill had to voice out his frustration over what seemed to be incessant whining on Doncic’s end regarding calls. But in Game 5, Doncic made a concerted effort to play with a certain zen, and it worked — the Mavericks took a 3-2 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 104-92 victory on Wednesday night, with Doncic having perhaps his best game of the entire 2024 NBA playoffs.
“I just go out there and hoop. Have fun. It was the old Luka — a smile on my face,” Doncic said following the game, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
More often than not these days, Luka Doncic plays with a look of exasperation on his face. Some of it is understandable; he is dealing with a few knocks to his body, and defenses are specifically geared to be physical against him to the point of annoyance. But his complaining tends to distract from what a basketball marvel he is. In Game 5, Doncic had no such problems.
At the end of the day, Doncic loves the game of basketball, and sometimes, you just have to strip it down to the basics. The sport, while meant to be played competitively, is also meant to give competitors a thrilling kind of fun.
“Just focus on basketball. Remember the thing I love to do. And just play basketball,” Doncic added, per Joey Mistretta, Mavericks beat reporter for ClutchPoints.
The old Luka Doncic is back, which is bad news for the Thunder
Luka Doncic has not looked like his usual self in this year’s playoffs. Sure, he has racked up stats like no other player; he leads the league in triple-doubles in this year’s playoffs, with three, and he continues to crash the glass and set up his teammates. But his shooting efficiency has dipped considerably.
Through the first 10 games of the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks star shot an uncharacteristic 40 percent from the floor and 26 percent from beyond the arc; for reference, he shot 46/35/77 in the 2022 playoffs. He was also averaging five fewer points than he did during his last playoff run. Fans will argue that Doncic is dealing with injuries, but at this point, who isn’t? Doncic himself will contend that he has to play better.
And on Wednesday, that’s exactly what Doncic did. He was back to his classic MVP form; he didn’t just put up a 31-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist triple-double, he also shot over 50 percent for just the second time in this year’s postseason (12-22) and he drilled five of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc on the night in a 104-92 win for the Mavericks over the Thunder.
It may be frustrating for Doncic sometimes when calls don’t go his way. But in Game 5, he looked more composed, even owning up to some of his fouls. Now, it’s not the worst idea in the world for the Mavericks star to show some emotion on the court. After all, he is an expressive person, and the last thing anyone would want him to do is to not let him be himself.
But there’s no need for Doncic’s frustrations to snowball into something that would contribute to the Mavericks’ demise. Credit goes to him for keeping his negative emotions in check and holding the fort, and now, his team is one win away from returning to the Western Conference Finals, their second trip in three years.
The Mavericks star loves hitting daggers on the road
It seems like nothing gets Luka Doncic more amped up than a jeering away crowd; he loves clapping back against the opposing fans’ banter towards him, and on Wednesday night, he quieted the Thunder fanbase again and again. This is nothing new for Doncic; in Game 5 of their series against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024, he was also at his best, putting up 35-7-10 on 54 percent shooting from the floor, and who could ever forget the time when he embarrassed the Phoenix Suns in front of their home crowd three years ago to this date?
And with Doncic embracing a more composed and positive mindset, the Mavericks are in the pole position to take care of business as they look toward an opportunity to close out the Thunder on Saturday night.
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