Michael Finley Tells Legendary Luka Doncic, Grant Williams Practice Story: 'Don't Poke The Bear'
Few people have witnessed Luka Doncic's greatness behind closed doors like Dallas Mavericks' assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley.
That greatness goes beyond what fans see on the hardwood on a game-to-game basis. Finley went on 105.3 The Fan and told a story about how one day at practice, former Mavs forward Grant Williams, who now plays for the Charlotte Hornets, wasn't enthused with how Doncic was playing and kept egging him on during a scrimmage.
Williams' pestering eventually led to Doncic showing that he was more than ready to practice. As a result, Finley witnessed what happens when the Slovenian star gets pushed to his limit, even in practice.
Luka Doncic and Grant Williams.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
[Grant Williams] decided he wanted to get under Luka's skin," Finley said. "He felt that Luka didn't come that day ready to practice. So to make a long story short, they had a scrimmage going and he's talking trash to Luka up and down the court. Finally, Luka says 'OK' and I tell you, Luka went on a 26-6 run by himself. You can ask anybody, I'm not exaggerating. It was like a 26-6 run by himself. He showed everything. The 3's, the post-up, the floaters, everything by himself."
Finley spent most of his NBA career playing for the Mavs, as he spent nine seasons in Dallas and averaged 19.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 rebounds per game with the franchise. He also played for the Phoenix Suns (1995-1996), San Antonio Spurs (2005-2009) and Boston Celtics (2009-2010). Finley was a two-time All-Star and won the NBA Finals with San Antonio in 2007.
After his playing career, Finley joined the Mavs' front office. He was their vice president of basketball operations for seven seasons before having assistant general manager added to his title in 2021.
Finley also noted that there were guests in attendance for Doncic's scoring spree in practice and said that after his performance, everyone shared the same sentiment.
"Everybody on the sideline, including the coaches, was like 'Do not poke the bear,'" Finley said. "Do not poke the bear. We had guests in the gym at the time and they were on the sideline oohing and aahing. It was unbelievable. The kid couldn't miss [and] I'm not talking easy shots. He was showing the whole repertoire in this five, six-minute span."
