Luka Doncic’s performance in Game 4 of the NBA Finals had Boston Celtics legend, Bob Cousy fawning all over him. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the 95-year-old had nothing but praise for Doncic and the way he forced a Game 5 despite being under immense pressure. But, while he went as far as drawing comparisons to arguably the greatest to ever do it, Cousy did have a hilarious admission about the Mavs star.
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Initially Cousy put the spotlight on the Mavericks’ two guards, Doncic and Kyrie Irving. However, it wasn’t long before he began gushing about the Slovenian from there.
After calling him “consistent” the avid Celtics supporter then said that he plays like a certain Chicago Bulls legend, despite looking like he does something drastically different for a living.
“Dallas’ strength is in their two guards obviously, Doncic and Kyrie…Doncic has been consistent. Doncic is an amazing talent. He looks like a truck driver and yet he plays like Michael Jordan. He’s amazing. So, he’s gonna function, you’re not gonna shut him down.”
“He’s amazing…you’re not going to shut him down.”@Hoophall legend Bob Cousy tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA he loves Luka Dončić, despite his…unassuming looks pic.twitter.com/6NIKE7LTIN
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) June 15, 2024
Cousy then said that Doncic’s talent is not the kind you can stop. That said, he was quick to point out that there are ways to somewhat neutralize him.
“Doncic’s not gonna score 45 points. He’ll get maybe even his 30. You know, you’re not gonna stop that kind of talent but you can somewhat neutralize him.”
The Boston icon seems to be right on the money with his take. When he is in the zone, Luka Doncic is an absolute savant of the game. One person is often not enough to guard him, however, if you double-team him, he immediately jets the perfect pass to an open man. In that sense, it can often feel like teams will play into his hands, no matter what they do.
However, the Celtics seem to have somewhat cracked the code. They have seen immense success by applying pressure through short blitzes and extremely physical defense. This hasn’t killed his game, by any means. However, it has slowed him down just enough to cause problems for Dallas.
However, just as with Michael Jordan, players are best advised not to get on the Slovenian’s bad side. After all, he also seems to be one of those players who performs far better when he has been goaded by the opposition. And so, it does seem rather fitting that he sports Jordan Brand on his feet during every game.
Luka Doncic is a Jordan Brand athlete
Back in 2019, Luka Doncic was announced as a signature athlete by the Jordan brand. He went on to ink a five-year deal with the sneaker giant after his two-year contract with Nike had come to an end.
It does seem likely that this decision was at least somewhat influenced by who he believes the greatest of all time is. During the Abu Dhabi games in 2023, Luka Doncic was asked to give his all-time starting five as well as reveal who his GOAT was.
It’s hard to blame him, considering the kind of influence Michael Jordan has had on the sport of basketball. And now, it’s likely he is beaming with pride at the impact Luka Doncic is having on the NBA today.
