Charles Barkley Blasts Luka Doncic's Mavs at Lakers: 'Stupid & Mediocre'
DALLAS - The idea of Luka Doncic as a one-man show - and the inherent problems with that - is not new. Dallas Mavs watchers are well-aware of how this team made the NBA West Finals a year ago, and how they've achieved their their so-far success this season.
It's "Luka Magic.''
But Charles Barkley of "NBA on TNT'' thinks the concept is "stupid.'' And he thinks the results are "mediocre.''
After taking a physical pounding from Lakers’ knucklehead Russell Westbrook (not to mention a LeBron James shot or two) and playing the game’s final 41 minutes (53 overall) Thursday night, Luka forced both overtimes at L.A. with step-back 3-pointers and finished with a 35-point-14-rebound-13 assist triple-double in Dallas’ gutsy 119-115 win.
We say "gutsy.''
Chuck says "mediocre.''
We think moving to a 24-19 record and owning the West’s fourth seed is pretty thrilling.
Chuck says "stupid.''
“It’s interesting how stupid the Mavs are at times,” Barkley said after the game. “The first quarter they got the big lead by running and gunning. Then they finally won because they took the ball out of Luka’s hands. They should do that more often. It’s a perfect example of why they’re a mediocre team.
"Luka doesn’t have to make every play.”
We can get into a strategic debate here; we'll argue that it was the Lakers’ double-team defense that altered Dallas’ game plan, not coach Jason Kidd.
We can also analyze the analysis, as our guy Grant Afseth does here, writing, "TNT's commentary boiling down to 30,000-foot view hot takes after watching any given team five times all season is not an enjoyable watch.''
Worth noting: Barkley is a fan of Luka's. Also worth noting, as Afseth does: Barkley, infamously, doesn't necessarily pay much attention to the actual game unfolding in front of him. Indeed, the TNT show may be at its best when it creates bits that have the fellas paying off bets by eating frogs and wearing football helmets.
But the value of Luka - who said afterward, “Very physical game. And I played a lot of minutes. But a win is a win'' - is once again established; Over the last two seasons the Mavs are 55-21 with Luka and 7-22 without him. ... and he’s now the first player ever to average 40 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists over a 10-game stretch. ... and yes, we wish he had more help.
But outside of Barkley being funny, we don't see the point or the value of thinking the Mavs are "stupid'' for giving Luka the ball, or "mediocre'' for owning a .558 winning percentage.
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