Despite the next game of 40 points, there was at least a slight criticism of Luka Doncic after the match 3 loss against the Warriors. This is incomprehensible. There are certain problems that cannot be resolved in Dallas Golden State, and at the same time, it has other concerns. Insight into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
1. Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic’s criticism is ridiculous
After the third loss in a row against the Warriors, many stats have surfaced on social networks that should at least begin to indicate that a large part of the blame can be found with Luka Doncic. To put this in context: He just played his eighth playoffs with at least 40 points (even if 21 of them came in the last quarter when it was too late).
Figures Given: With Doncic on the field, the net rating against the Warriors is -18 at 79 minutes (Off-rating: 112.0; def rating: 130), without him the net rating is +36.7 at 26 minutes (Off- Rating: 136.7; Standard rating: 100). In addition, Doncic has lost six of his eight matches from 40 points, the last of which was four consecutive matches. Only Rick Barry could boast of a similar long line.
After the match, Doncic was as self-critical as usual: “I played really badly in the first three quarters. It’s my fault.” Then he pointed out the aspect that all critics should consider: “I’m only 23 men. I’m still learning a lot. After the season, wherever that is, I’ll look back and learn a lot. This is my first conference finals. Nobody expected us here. The Warriors play. Amazingly, everyone knows their role.”
Plus, the numbers can be explained – even if Doncic tends to throw a lot of heavy throws and sometimes makes the wrong decision -: his minutes largely match Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the best warriors to date. In the minutes against Thompson and Green plus the reserves, Dallas looked a lot better, and there was also a long trash time in Game 1.
And most importantly: Doncic can hardly be blamed for the fact that the Mavericks didn’t hit the barn door from distance in Game 1 (22.9 percent, 11/48) and 3. Time and time again the Slovenian found the open shooter in the early stages last night, repeatedly hitting the ball in the ring . While he was still getting 4/9, his teammates, with a few exceptions, did absolutely nothing. Negative examples: Maxi Kleber (0/5) and Reggie Bullock (0/7).
Commenting on the defeats of a youngster who led his team to the Conference Finals without a clear number two scoring 31.4 points, 94 rebounds and 6.5 assists by roughly 47% off the field is absurd. Doncic’s coach Jason Kidd explained that the current playoff round for Dallas was “just the beginning of our journey”: “It’s great to experience, but it’s not the end.”
2. Warriors: Despite the curry ceremony, the stage belongs to Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins dominated post-match interviews, despite Stephen Curry’s solid performance (Kerr: “He was great today. It’s impressive to watch”). First and foremost, of course, this was due to his insane dunk over Luka Doncic in the fourth quarter, perhaps his best qualifying so far. Initially, referee Mark Davies considered it an offensive foul, but after challenging the Warriors, the referee’s team changed their decision.
According to Clay Thompson, Wiggins sounded like Dominic Wilkins, Green gave more meaning to the immersion as it completed via Superstar – and Curry said sarcastically, “It was amazing. And we were able to watch 800 replays because of the challenge. So thanks, Mark. That was nice.” Wiggins himself said he “just felt the energy. The ring was all I saw.”
Doncic, who was pushed aside by Wiggins with his forearm as usual, was left with only words of praise: “I hurt a little, but I don’t want to lie: that was impressive. I saw him again in the video and thought to myself: Wow, it could be me too.”
But it’s important to stress: Wiggins also put in a stellar performance behind the dunk, finishing the game with the highest playoff level at 27 points and making it out on the field with a strength of 11/20. He also got 11 rebounds and had the best plus/minus of all players (+22). In this regard, it stands at +66 across the chain, followed by Curry at +57. “It’s great to see that he can shine like this on the biggest stage,” he said of his colleague.
Especially at the beginning of the series he proved to be a very useful defender against Doncic, in match 3 he showed the best offensive performance. He grabbed 6 of 11 rebounds on the offensive board, and in the fourth quarter he dropped a particularly important ball right into the basket. Previously, he had shown his separation from the mid-range and in the area while the triple pointer refused to fall compared to the previous two games (but was 39.2 percent across the series).
“I love it,” Wiggins said of the qualifiers that will likely see the Warriors advance to the major finals. “It’s the biggest stage you’ve ever played and brought out the best in everyone.” Since Thompson’s throw was rarely down like normal, Green only delivered conditionally and Jordan Paul had a poor day, Wiggins’ better performance could not have come at a better time. There was also praise from the highest authority: “Andrew Wiggins plays the best basketball he’s ever played”Magic Johnson said.