Analysts and enthusiasts have only had great things to say about Luka Doncic during the ongoing postseason. However, his subpar performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals didn’t quite service him the same way. In fact, Brian Windhorst even slammed the point guard for his constant grumbling, before going as far as to blame him for the Dallas Mavericks’ loss.
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Windhorst showed no mercy when assessing Luka Doncic’s display in Game 3. The ESPN analyst was upfront about the fact that he despised the attitude that Doncic played with. The ESPN analyst even brought up an instance in the fourth quarter when the Slovenian cussed at his team bench for a fault of his own.
“Luka fell on the ground there, in an unacceptable position to put himself in with 4 minutes left with 5 fouls. Then immediately looks at the bench and says ‘You better bleeping challenge it’ as if it’s the bench’s fault that he just made a terrible play,”
The 46-year-old also criticized Doncic for an awful defensive performance coupled with the fact that he kept complaining about the officiating.
“His defensive performance is unacceptable, he is a hole on the court, the Celtics are attacking him they are ahead in this series because they’ve attacked him defensively.
Further, despite admitting that Luka is a great player, Brian was unfiltered when he claimed that the Mavericks would never win a title if the five-time All-NBA player didn’t change his behavior.
He’s a brilliant player… They are here because of how he did. His performance in this game is unacceptable and the reason why the Mavericks are not gonna win… The fact that he came out of the game and blamed the officials showed me he’s nowhere close yet,”
Brian Windhorst goes OFF on Luka Doncic
( @BoltGangBaby ) pic.twitter.com/Tp7nY2R3Vo
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 13, 2024
Brian Windhorst might’ve offended several Dallas fans, but he doesn’t seem to be inaccurate with his words. Ever since his early days in the NBA, Doncic has had the reputation of constantly bickering with and about the officials.
Windhorst was also spot-on in denouncing Doncic for his terrible defense. However, it is worth noting that the 6ft 7” player was terrific on this end of the floor at the start of the postseason. But, as the playoffs progressed and he kept sustaining multiple injuries, the Mavericks superstar seemed to struggle more and more on the defensive end.
Luka is a great player and is undeniably one of the future faces of the league. He is also one of the best players of this generation already. However, taking accountability for his actions is an intangible that he’s going to have to work on if he ever wishes to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.
With Game 4 now a win-or-go-home scenario for the Dallas Mavericks, it will be interesting to see how Luka Doncic reacts in the contest. Will he be able to adjust, and keep his team’s season alive? Or will he succumb to the pressure, and revert right back to his bad habits?
