Luka Doncic was torched by the media for his Game 3 performance at American Airlines Center after the Mavericks took their third loss in a row in the NBA Finals. One of the major points of criticism against the Slovenian superstar was his poor defensive game. While it’s well known that Luka is not at his best on the defensive end of the court, the outrage made it seem like the Mavs superstar wasn’t actively defending at all.
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On the recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, the Warriors star slammed all the critics who are conveniently targeting Luka, now that Dallas is on the brink of elimination.
Green said that Luka being comparatively weaker on the defensive end is not a brand-new revelation. The Mavs guard has been criticized for it for pretty much the entirety of his career. However, what baffled Green about the recent tirade against Doncic is that no one was pointing fingers at his defense when he was winning games for his team throughout the season.
The 34-year-old had Derek Fisher on as a guest on the latest episode of his podcast, where they discussed the criticism against Luka.
Green said, “Quite frankly, I think it’s bullsh*t because he is not defending any differently than he has before. If I’m honest, I’ve seen in pockets of this playoffs run for them…him defend at the highest level I’ve ever seen him defend.”
The four-time NBA Champion said that the media is only attacking Luka’s defense because it’s convenient to do so at the moment. “Oh, they’re down 3-0, here’s our chance to attack him. Here’s our chance to attack his defense. And I hate sh*t like that,” Draymond added.
According to Green, the Luka slander after Game 3 was highly unnecessary. But the media ran the agenda because they needed to find the flaws in the Mavs’ fortress.
Fisher also agreed with what Green had to say about the recent change in tone. He said, “The larger kind of narrative…like let’s single something out that has always been there maybe, but we’re gonna make a big deal about it now.”
Fisher reiterated that Luka was never an elite defensive player, but during this playoff run he has been the best by his standards.
Other than the slander of his defensive game, Luka has also been trashed for being selfish during Game 3.
Stephen A. Smith blasted Luka Doncic for his Game 3 performance
Following the Mavs’ third consecutive loss in the Finals, Stephen A. Smith was furious with the Slovenian superstar. On an episode of First Take, he said that Luka failed his team as a leader and that it’s something he should never repeat.
He said, “Luka deserves most of the blame for this. It was a horrible performance. 27 points on 27 shots. But it wasn’t because of that, it was because of the level of selfishness and the lack of accountability…you’re supposed to be the leader of the team.”
After the loss, Luka didn’t shy away from owning his mistakes publicly. During his conversation with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, he acknowledged that fouling out in the fourth quarter was a mistake and it wasn’t in the team’s best interest.
He said, “It was my bad. Can’t do that, especially in the NBA Finals. Where this is a little bit different but can’t really do that in the Finals.” Luka changed his approach in Game 4, which resulted in a thumping 38-point victory over the Celtics.
