During his illustrious NBA career that spanned 15 years, Michael Finley registered a remarkable 996 steals. However, nothing compared to his most recent one, as the 51-year-old slickly took a beer can away from Luka Doncic following the Dallas Mavericks’ Western Conference Finals triumph. This hilarious instance soon went viral on social media, garnering a contradicting response from Kevin Garnett.
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While sharing a clip containing the entire situation on his Instagram story, KG wrote, “It’s a man’s league…Can you imagine telling [Dennis] Rodman he couldn’t have a beer FOH…Watch out…The Don wants a beer, The Don gets a beer…Tf…Just saying”.
KG on his IG story pic.twitter.com/RWdyWwxggf
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) June 2, 2024
Considering the moment’s importance, Garnett’s comments made sense to a certain extent. After all, the team’s 124-103 victory in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves ensured the franchises’ only third-ever and Doncic’s first-ever qualification to the NBA Finals.
The Slovenian talisman was simply enjoying this achievement with a beer in the tunnel by his father’s side. Amidst the celebrations, Finley came in unannounced and casually took the can out of Doncic’s hand. Following this, the 2007 champion hugged the Mavs star’s father before leaving the scene without making eye contact with the 25-year-old.
This did not sit right with KG. He undoubtedly failed to grasp Finley’s intention behind the actions. Moreover, Doncic did not breach any code of conduct to be penalized this brutally out in the open.
That said, Finley was also doing his job as the franchise’s Assistant General Manager and Vice President. He aimed to discipline the team’s talisman in his way, indirectly reminding him of the bigger task. With the NBA Finals beginning in a couple of days, the Illinois-born did not want the players to lose focus midway through the journey.
After all, the Boston Celtics are set to throw unprecedented challenges at the Mavs, with Doncic admitting the same.
What did Luka Doncic say ahead of the NBA Finals?
Following the WCF victory, the 5x All-Star outlined the upcoming obstacles in the post-game conference. Admiring the prowess of the Celtics, Doncic admitted that his team would need to bring their A-game to defeat the Eastern Conference giants. Expressing his viewpoint, the 2019 ROTY declared,
“I mean, they’re the best team in the NBA. They had by far the best record and they have some incredible weapons on offense and defense. We’re gonna have to play really hard and amazing basketball to beat them”.
In summary, Doncic hinted at how the Mavs must exceed the expectations to ensure a win, which they had done all season long. As a result, despite entering this series as underdogs, the team continues to have faith in their capabilities. This paves the way for an interesting final, with both franchises risking much of their credibility.
