DALLAS – Luka Doncic was ejected for a foul in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Here's the problem: Doncic can't foul out. He can't foul out in the Finals. He can't foul out in a game that Dallas lost, 106-99, in a close game late in the fourth quarter.
The Dallas Mavericks' star players are extremely valuable and indispensable.
Doncic missed 4:12 left in the fourth quarter after picking up his sixth disqualifying foul with the Boston Celtics leading 93-90. He had picked up his fifth foul 26 seconds earlier and disputed the idea of picking up six fouls. “Six fouls in the NBA Finals, you're basically like, 'Dude, I'm better than that,'” he said.
But that doesn't matter. The Mavs needed Doncic on the floor, having fouled out for just the third time in his career, and he wasn't there. Without the All-NBA guard, the Mavs were down 13-9 in those minutes.
Criticism of the 25-year-old Doncic has grown with each loss the Mavs have had in the Finals. They are trailing 3-0 and the Celtics have a chance to sweep the Mavs in Game 4 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
ESPN's Brian Windhorst slammed Doncic, pointing out his constant complaints about the referees, his defensive deficiencies and his “unacceptable” performance in Game 3.
Doncic has been battling injuries — he was on the injured list in Game 3 with a chest contusion and in the last playoffs with a sprained knee and a sore ankle — but his performance was a big part of how the Mavs beat three 50-win teams in the Western Conference playoffs and reached the Finals.
There's a reason he was an All-NBA selection — his offensive talent is undeniable — but in his first Finals appearance, he's learning just how different a game it is, one that requires you to compete for the ball on both ends of the court.
Doncic's stats in the Finals are decent — he's averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 32.1% from 3-point range — but the Mavs are looking for him to be exceptional on the offensive end.
Digging deeper, the fourth quarter numbers are less than encouraging: in two of the three games they were close, but they averaged 2.7 points per quarter, shot 20% from the field (3-of-15) and 0% from three-point range (0-of-4).
He's not the first star to struggle in his Finals debut, but the situation highlights just how much his game needs to improve.
His frustration with the officials and defensiveness are well-known issues, it's just more pronounced at this level. The Celtics have a ton of offensive options going after Doncic. Boston's personnel arrangement gives them an advantage all over the court against Dallas, and Doncic struggles to defend. At times, it's not even an effort, as Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday roll past Doncic with little resistance.
“Yeah, he definitely has a target on his chest,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “He's got to be able to play defense and understand that if he loses, we're there to protect him and help him out.”
“Again, he's carrying a big load offensively. They're putting him in all of the pick-and-rolls and isolations. He's got to be able to make plays on offense where he can rest and put the load on other guys.”
But at this stage, other than Kyrie Irving, the Mavs have no one to support Doncic offensively, at least not against the Celtics.
“It's easy to just blame him. It's easy to say you can be better. It's easy to say that. I think he knows that,” Irving said, “But, yeah, this just reiterates that I'm rooting for him. We're all rooting for him.”
The Celtics are no stranger to playoff disappointment and the growth that comes from that loss, and they're hoping Doncic sees the changes that need to be made.
