Brian Windhorst Offers Luka Dončić Friendly Advice Ahead of Game 5

Stephen Douglas | Jun 17, 2024

Brian Windhorst explains who Luka Doncic can't be mad at on 'Get Up.' / ESPN

The Dallas Mavericks stayed alive with a blowout win over the Boston Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. The series-extending victory came on the heels of a ton of criticism of Luka Doncic, most notably from ESPN's Brian Windhorst. Luka responded to the criticism with 29 points and an all-around solid effort that even inclued some defense.

Having possibly motivated Doncic ahead of Game 4, Windhorst was back again on the morning of Game 5 to pass along some more sage advice. This time letting him know who he was and was not allowed to be visibly annoyed with tonight.

Brian Windhorst on Luka Dončić: "He can be angry at every single Celtics fan. He can be angry at every single Celtics player. There's three guys he's not allowed to be angry with -- they wear gray. Leave them alone! And if you do that, you have a great opportunity to pull… pic.twitter.com/CJbifDbPPF

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 17, 2024

"He can be angry at every single Celtics fan," Windhorst said on Get Up. "He can be angry at every single Celtics player. There's three guys he's not allowed to be angry with. They wear gray. Leave them alone. And if you do that, you have a great opportunity to pull something off."

Last week Windhorst scolded Doncic. Today, after a win he has more of a just have fun out there vibe. If this works and the Mavericks win Game 5, should we officially considering Windhorst the Luka whisperer?

Really though, this is a great example of the way that we discuss players in 2024. A sweep is an embarassment and can define a legacy! But winning a single game? The most recent game? It's all gravy! That's why no one criticizes the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls or '15-'16 Golden State Warriors and the reason that the media will go back to dumping on Luka Doncic when the Celtics finish off the Mavericks this week.

It's like no one remembers the last time Doncic decided to stop complaining and the Mavericks won an important game a whole month ago. Don't think for a second everyone won't go back to criticizing him when things stop going his way and he starts to pout again. And Windhorst? Well, he won't be mad. Probably just disappointed.