Luka Doncic has proven that he was tailor-made for the biggest stages of the NBA. He sunk a classic Luka Magic step-back three to win Game 2, taking the Mavericks up 2-0 in the WCF. The Road Warrior established that the length of the Wolves, which bred several issues for teams like Phoenix Suns, will probably not deter him from his maiden NBA Finals appearance. While the Wolves desperately need an antidote for Doncic, NBA enthusiasts believe there is only one way.
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Former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler, on Redick’s ‘The Old Man and The Three’ podcast, highlighted that a defender can’t stifle the 6’7” guard just through his length and swift footwork.
He posited that one needs to have incredible strength to stymie the guard whose slow-paced style can throw off shifty perimeter defenders,
“I don’t think Luka is that much affected by length and quickness. He is affected more by strength because he plays slower.”
Legler expressed that the best way to hamper Doncic’s charge is by taking the ball off his hands because he is unguardable while operating as a ball-handler. He cited Luguentz Dort’s example, who was able to sap off Doncic’s energy and weaken his charge to some degree during the first-round series against the OKC Thunder.
Later, JJ Redick also pointed out that the bulked-up Dort was indeed more effective than Wolves’ premier defender Jaden McDaniels as the latter is wiry and doesn’t have the same muscles as the Thunder’s Wing.
If the Slovenian continues with his magic on the court, probably no defender would be able to contain him offensively. He nailed the game-winner over 7’1″ Rudy Gobert in the most important play of Game 2 and proved Legler’s point. He even took a dig at this season’s DPOY after the game.
Luka Doncic ridiculed Gobert on Inside the NBA
During Game 2, with around six seconds left, Luka Doncic’s eye lit up when he saw Rudy Gobert guarding him on the perimeter. The 4x DPOY is better equipped to guard the paint than the perimeter and Doncic took advantage of his weakness. After the game, he took shots at Gobert’s lack of speed during a post-game interview on ‘Inside the NBA’.
“He’s long. He can’t move. I can’t move fast, but I can move faster than him,” Doncic quipped.
Luka Doncic on his game-winning shot over Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert: “He’s long. He can’t move. I can’t move fast, but I can move faster than him.” 😂 pic.twitter.com/fOnXmjJoUu
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 25, 2024
Doncic continues to elevate his profile in the postseason window. Despite not having athletic chops and rapid speed, he carves out terrific offense by working through difficult angles. His elusive body movements and sturdy upper and lower body build allow him to finish through contact, which is too much to handle along with his shooting abilities.
The Wolves will have to scratch something special to contain the athlete who has now burned them twice in a row. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have looked completely out of sync in the series. In this battle of two duos, the Mavs pair has taken over the conference finals, thus far. Can the Wolves turn it around like the last round?
