2024 NBA Finals: Luka Dončić rebounds from heavy criticism to remind of his brilliance in Mavs’ Game 4 rout

DALLAS — Less and more was required from Luka Dončić, and given the events of the past two days, Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night wasn’t about the Boston Celtics’ coronation or the possibility of capping off some historic season.

It was about the player with pedigree, catching the strays and hollow points from all sides and causing his coach to deliver an impassioned defense of his star player.

So, yes, it was the ultimate paradox for Dončić — more passion, less emotion. More concentration on the floor, less focus on the officials. More physical force but less forcing his plodding style that gums up Dallas’ offense.

For a night it was perhaps a sign of things to come, or a mere stay of execution until the inevitable, Dončić and the Mavericks staved off embarrassment with a resounding Game 4 win on their home floor, winning 122-84 at American Airlines Center.

The tone was set 90 minutes before the game, when Mavericks coach Jason Kidd defended Dončić after two days of the superstar being skewered in the media. Kidd felt the criticism was a bit heavy handed and too far for someone who’s as decorated as Dončić.

Luka Dončić found some redemption in the Mavericks’ Game 4 blowout in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Kidd did it because he knows he has to with the coach-player relationship under scrutiny in today’s NBA, and Kidd has been on both sides.

“That’s my job. My job is to protect him and tell the truth,” Kidd told Yahoo Sports after the game. “I didn’t lie or do anything out of the ordinary. We just went a little too far.”

“We” is more the media, but Kidd felt Dončić has always been accountable — his weight, his basketball character and many other topics were seemingly on trial before the start of Game 4.

“He’s never run from anything. He always sat there and and answered,” Kidd told Yahoo Sports. “If he was dipping and dodging the questions … but he sat down and answered the hard questions. Shoot, guys run and hide and disappear and he understands that. But he’s front and center, and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/2024-nba-finals-luka-doncic-rebounds-from-heavy-criticism-to-remind-of-his-brilliance-in-mavs-game-4-rout-075823950.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-06-15 07:58:23

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