How Luka Doncic developed his clutch gene at Celtics’ expense

How Luka Doncic developed his clutch gene at Celtics’ expense originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The NBA Finals formula for the Celtics is pretty simple: Don’t give Luka Doncic a chance to beat them.

For an opponent Boston only sees twice a year, Doncic has put a hurting on the C’s in crunch time. It’s possible no opponent has meant more to creating his late-game reputation than the Celtics, who needn’t rewatch his step-back game-winner over Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert last week to realize what kind of damage Doncic can do with the clock approaching zero-point-zero.

For his career, Doncic has attempted four shots against the Celtics to tie or take the lead in the final two minutes, and he has made all of them. He may only be 5-6 lifetime vs. Boston, but three of those wins were pure Luka Magic.

Feb. 23, 2021: Mavs 110, Celtics 107

Doncic would not be denied in this game. He hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to give Dallas a two-point lead before Jaylen Brown’s drive tied it with nine seconds left. The Mavs eschewed a timeout and Doncic delivered, calmly drilling the game-winning 3 from the left wing with one-tenth of a second left to give Dallas the 110-107 victory.

“He’s just a very unique player, a very unique person,” then-Mavs coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “The wiring of people like Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, guys that have this laser-like focus in these situations. It’s difficult to explain how their minds and their brains work.”

Nov. 6, 2021: Mavs 107, Celtics 104

A few months later, Doncic scored from pretty much the exact same spot at the buzzer to secure a 107-104 victory. The Celtics sent three players at him, including all-league defenders Robert Williams and Marcus Smart, but it didn’t matter.

“For one second I just stood there. I didn’t realize I made it,” Doncic told reporters at the time. “But it was amazing. I’ve got to say, I think I like the left foot on the 45 degrees. I think I like that spot.”

March 13, 2022: Mavs 95, Celtics 92

In 2022, the Celtics were in the midst of a 24-4 blitzkrieg that would rocket them to the NBA Finals….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/luka-doncic-developed-clutch-gene-151629219.html

Author : NBC Sports Boston

Publish date : 2024-06-05 15:16:29

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