Mavs Game 5 Donuts: Luka Shot, KP OUT Vs. Clippers - GAMEDAY
What do Dallas Mavs Game 5 Donuts tell us about what's about to happen in the NBA Playoffs? Tonight ... Luka Doncic 'has a shot' against the Los Clippers in these NBA Playoffs ...
DONUT 1: 48 HOURS Two days later Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Dončić has one of ‘those shots’ now. Whether you’re punctuating it with Mike Breen’s “Bang! Bang!” or your own personal voice-over, Dončić and his masterful game-winning 3-pointer to lead the Mavericks to a Game 4 overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers is THE moment of this 2020 NBA postseason (at least for now).
"Bang! Bang!'' indeed.
DONUT 2: A SIMPLE PARAGRAPH Want context of the meaning of Sunday’s win for Doncic on a career level? After the games, the Mavs’ PR staff is kind enough to send the media a myriad of notes. The paragraph that follows was their note on Doncic on Sunday evening:
Luka Dončić hit a game-winning buzzer beater, making him the youngest (21 years, 177 days) to do so, en route to 43 points (18-31 FGs, 4-10 3FGs, 3-5 FTs), 17 rebounds and 13 assists in 45 minutes for his second consecutive triple-double. Dončić is the first player with at least 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists in a playoff game in NBA history. The only player with that many points, rebounds, and assists in a regular season game was Wilt Chamberlain (53-32-14) in 1968. Dončić became the third player in NBA history to record at least 40-15-10, joining Oscar Robertson (1963) and Charles Barkley (1993). Dončić became the second-youngest player in NBA history to put up back-to-back triple-doubles in the playoffs (Magic Johnson). The sophomore guard joined LeBron James (21 years, 113 days; 32-11-11 vs. WAS, 4/22/06) as the only players 21-or-younger to record 30-point triple-doubles in the playoffs. Coincidentally, James is the only other player to record a triple-double thus far in the 2020 postseason. Dončić, who led the NBA in regular season triple-doubles with 17, now leads the league in postseason triple-doubles with 2. Dončić joins Robertson and James (twice), Wilt Chamberlain, Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Barkley as the only players to record 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game. Including the playoffs, the Mavericks are now 13-6 this season when Dončić records a triple-double (regular season and playoffs).
That's quite a jumble of info, but fish out of it this:
There isn’t a single player in that paragraph that isn’t in the Hall of Fame, except for James and Dončić and that’s because they’re still playing. James is, naturally, a lock. Dončić, two seasons in, is tracking like a player who will join James and that cavalcade of stars in Springfield, Massachusetts, one day. That’s a long way down the road, of course, and much can happen.
DONUT 3: STAR VS. SUPERSTAR On Sunday in Donuts I wrote about the difference between a ‘star’ and a great player as opposed to a ‘superstar’ and ‘the man’ on a team and, in a larger view, the NBA. I wrote about it because Game 3 proved to me there is that gap between Dončić and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.
Now, to be fair, Dončić is in his second year in the NBA. In comparison to James, while James was preternaturally gifted in his second NBA season, he was still learning how to be ‘the man’ in Cleveland. So that gap I wrote about before Game 4 is, in part due to maturity and experience. Up until Sunday, Dončić had never hit a shot that big in an NBA postseason game. (Obviously; this is his first series.) Leonard, on the other hand, is a two-time NBA Finals MVP who has done stuff like this throughout his career.
That guy Dirk Nowitzki also had a penchant for big shots in big moments, none bigger than this one.
But now? Dončić has one of ‘those shots’ on his resume. If the Mavs become an NBA Finals team once again, Dončić will likely have even bigger shots on his resume as a result. If so, then he starts to enter that rarefied air of players like James, Leonard and Nowitzki one day.
But that gap I wrote about before Game 4, the one between Dončić and Leonard? Well Dončić seems intent on closing it fast. And, because of that, Game 5 should be incredible.
DONUT 4: INJURY UPDATE As for injuries, the Mavs will be without Kristaps Porzingis (knee soreness) again Tuesday night.
Concern over this “knee soreness” issue with Porzingis is starting to rise among the DallasBasketball.com crew. It’s hard to imagine Porzingis missing two consecutive playoff games in a tightly contested series just because of general knee soreness. Maybe we’re wrong, and the Mavs are just being overly cautious, given Porzingis’ injury history. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
DONUT 5: THE LOOK-BACK Our Richie Whitt had the gamer and wrote about how Luka Dončić’s Game 4 performance will go down as one of the best in not just Mavs postseason history, but perhaps Dallas sports history, period.
DONUT 6: APOLOGY ACCEPTED? Our Mike Fisher had the details on Doncic accepting Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell’s apology for, well, you know what by now.
As Fish said on 105.3 The Fan this week: "Maybe the NBA just wants this swept under the rug. For the greater good, or something.''
Plus, Fish called the Mavs “Bully-Proof” in this post-game piece. ... As more evidence that Harrell and his ilk aren't likely to get into the heads of this team.
Meanwhile, Rick is reminding his team to stay on the "attack.''
DONUT 7: THE 12 GREATEST MAVS SHOTS/GAMES IN PLAYOFF HISTORY Whitt also provides some context on where Dončić’s Game 4 performance ranks in Mavs history.
DONUT 8: 'BANG! BANG!'' In addition to the grand voice of Mike Breen on TV, our grand voices, Matt Galatzan and Dalton Trigg have the postgame StepBack Mavs Podcast breakdown, too. ... and you bet they'll have one posted here at DallasBasketball.com immediately after Game as well!
DONUT 9: WHY GAME 5 MATTERS: The winner has the chance to clinch in Game 6. That’s it. That’s what matters.
And we can add, trying to gauge the mood of Mavs fans: Where once "being competitive'' was enough ... now? Winning is doable. Winning is the goal.
DONUT 10: THE SCHEDULE Western Conference Playoffs, Round 1 ...
Game Time: 8 p.m. CT Tuesday
Location: Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando
TV/Radio: TNT, FSSW, 103.3 FM
Series Schedule, Results
Game 1: Clippers 118, Mavericks 110
Game 2: Mavericks 127, Clippers 114
Game 3: Clippers 130, Mavericks 122
Game 4: Mavericks 135, Clippers 133 (OT) (series tied, 2-2)
Game 5: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 6: Thursday, Aug. 27, ESPN, time TBD
Game 7: Saturday, Aug. 29, TNT, time TBD (if necessary)
DONUT 11: MAVSCELLANEOUS Mavs guard Trey Burke put up 25 points and five rebounds in the Mavs’ overtime win in Game 4. Those were both career playoff highs for Burke. ... “This (Dončić’s performance in Game 4) would have to rank pretty high up there. We know this kid has got a flair for the dramatic; he’s a performer as well as a great player. He’s a guy that lives for these moments and is completely fearless. He’s got such great heart that if he was able to feel anything close to decent, he was going to probably play today. I wasn’t going to say that publicly, but that’s what this kid is about.” - Carlisle on Luka ... “It was OK. No worries. There are a lot of emotions on the court, especially in the playoffs. Sometimes you say things you don’t want to say. He apologized. No problem.” - Mavs forward Luka on the Montrezl Harrell apology
THE LAST WORD: “I thought we were very emotionally weak ... to be honest. You can see the difference in spirits. They make a run, and everybody is excited. They make a run on us, and we cave-in.'' - Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
