'Patient' Luka Doncic & New Mavs Earn Upset Win at Miami Heat

When the Mavericks oppose the Heat, as was the case Tuesday in Miami, it’s about Finals memories. memories. Was Dallas able to manufacture some new memories?

When the Dallas Mavericks oppose the Heat, as was the case Tuesday in Miami, for as long as our memories hold out, it will be labeled “a rematch of the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals.

And Mavericks fans would just as soon remember just the second one.

But somewhere over the course of this outing - a 107-99 Mavs upset win - we should also try to turn the page to the fellas hanging around the building at FTZ Arena.

Like Luka Doncic, the sizzling superstar who struggled from the floor but still managed 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists - and did a dissection job on a defense completely keyed to stopping him.

Said coach Jason Kidd: “The patience that Luka had is just incredible for a 22 year old to be able to play that way.” 

Like newcomers Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, the take from Washington in the recent “reverse-blockbuster” trade in which Dallas dumped Kristaps Porzingis, with an immediate payoff from the new twosome. Dinwiddle contributed five assists and the game isn't won without perimeter big Bertains, who hit a trio of 3-pointers and totaled 12 points in 13 minutes.

And like Goran Dragic, the Luka buddy and Miami resident who may or may not be Dallas-bound.

The result here means Dallas has a 34-24 record with a fifth-seed in the Western Conference. (And might, all things considered, be the 11th-best team in the NBA.)

And for the Heat, it means the end of a five-game winning streak as Miami tries to cling to first place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-21 record after being taken down in a "new Mavs'' signature win.

The Mavericks are now heavily reliant on Doncic and backcourt mate Jalen Brunson to carry a heavy load - and Brunson (19 points) combined with Luka to shoot just 11 of 33.

But the ball movement was there for everybody ...

Dallas is also looking for continued development from Dorian Finney-Smith as he’s signed his new four-year, $52 million extension (Mom no longer needs to work at Church's Chicken!), and here one of his challenges was helping to chase down Miami’s Jimmy Butler.

Butler - a leader on a Heat team that went to the NBA Finals last year and is primed for another run - was "survived'' here, as he scored 29. Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Kyle Lowry, and altogether, Miami has talent that Dallas should not be able to match.

But Maxi Kleber (some work on Butler, plus 19 points and rim protection with five blocks) and other supplemental Mavs pieced together an impressive comeback - as evidenced by the fact that Kleber and Bertrans alone combined to outscore Miami’s entire bench unit (25 points).

Miami had control of this thing at the half, up 59-51 to Heat, in large part due to a 32-8 points edge in the paint. The Mavs - with help from Bertans - climbed into the lead going into the fourth, and with nine minutes left held a 91-81 lead. 

And kept it up.

"Davis was great. I think he was excited to play,'' Kidd said.

Why not chase buyout Dragic? Would Doncic’s fellow Slovanian help? The thinking by some is that the Dinwiddie acquisition makes that idea redundant; we think Dallas - and Luka - needs all the help possible.

Maybe the Mavs have a talent mountain to climb in regard to matching up with the NBA’s “true contenders.” But watching this one, we're reminded that, of course, as MFFLs with healthy memories know, that’s what they said about Dallas’ two Finals teams, too.

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