BOSTON – A star fighting to win his first NBA championship is not a new story. It’s woven into NBA history.
LeBron James, 22, shot 35.6% from the field and 20% on 3-pointers in his first NBA Finals against San Antonio in 2007. He struggled to recover over the next three seasons, and when he returned for his second In the 2011 finals, Dallas took away his strengths and exploited his weaknesses.
Michael Jordan had three straight first-round losses, one second-round loss and two straight conference finals losses in six seasons before breaking through and winning his first title seven years into his career.
Hakeem Olajuwon made the finals in his second season, losing to Boston, and didn’t come back and win a championship until eight years later. Jerry West lost seven straight Finals appearances with the Los Angeles Lakers before finally winning a title.
And of course, newly crowned champions Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics suffered multiple setbacks in the playoffs before finally winning a championship.
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The setbacks in the playoffs and the lessons learned from those losses made them better players and helped them understand how important each possession is.
Now, it’s Dallas star Luka Doncic’s turn to learn, grow and return as a better player in hopes he can lead the Mavericks to a title one day after Boston’s Game 5 victory that clinched the championship on Monday.
“They’re a great team,” Doncic said after Game 5 as the Celtics celebrated on the court. “They have been together for a long time and had to go through everything, so we just have to watch them, see how they play, their maturity and they have great players. We can learn from that. We have to fight next season.”
Luka Doncic watches his shot during Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
When asked about his emotions, Doncic said, “Sad that we lost.”
The Mavs added Kyrie Irving last season and PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford at this season’s trade deadline. They peaked at the right time, beating three 50-win teams in the Western Conference playoffs.
“I’d say we’ve been together for five months,” Doncic said. “I am proud of each of the players who stepped on the field, of all the coaches, of all the people behind it. Obviously we didn’t win the finals, but we had a great season and I’m proud of each one of them.”
Mavs general manager Nico Harrison needs to continue reshaping the roster, as Celtics president Brad Stevens did until he found the right mix of players.
Doncic, 25, had his good and bad moments in the Finals. In the series, Doncic averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.6 steals while shooting 47.2% from the field. But he also shot 24.4% on three-pointers, 58.6% on free throws and committed 4.6 turnovers per game.
The Celtics’ offensive and defensive versatility made the game difficult for Doncic on both sides. Boston used multiple defenders against him, didn’t have to double-team him like other teams were forced to do, and forced him to expend energy on the defensive end.
“They were very physical. They have great defenders,” Doncic said. “They are a great team. That’s what they do”.
He received the most criticism after Game 3 when he fouled out with 4:12 left in a three-point game, was 11 of 27 from the field, 1 of 7 on 3-pointers, often complained about officiating and was not at his best defensively.
But he bounced back in Game 4 with his best performance and made sure the Mavs avoided elimination. He had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists. His 28 points on 12 of 25 shooting (2 of 9 on three-pointers) plus 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals and seven turnovers were not enough in Game 5.
“There will be bumps and bruises along the way. So for him at the age of 25 to get to the Finals, to play basketball at the level that he’s playing, now it’s just about being consistent,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said.
“Again, I’m always in the MVP conversation because when you have one of the best players in the world, you should always be fighting for a championship.”
Throughout the playoffs, the Mavs listed Doncic on the injury report with multiple injuries: first a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness and then suffering a chest bruise that required painkilling shots in the Finals.
“It doesn’t matter if I got hurt, but how much I got hurt. I was out there. I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough,” Doncic said.
Doncic said he will soon decide to play for Slovenia as he tries to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but said: “I’m just trying to get a little healthier.”
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
This article originally appeared on KeynoteUSA: Luka Doncic’s path may mirror that of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
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