Say this about Luka Doncic: His performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics sure brought out emotions in people. The Dallas Mavericks star had a forgettable performance Wednesday night, fouling out of an eventual Boston win that put the Mavs on the brink and in danger of seeing the Celtics raise […]
Say this about Luka Doncic: His performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Celtics sure brought out emotions in people.
The Dallas Mavericks star had a forgettable performance Wednesday night, fouling out of an eventual Boston win that put the Mavs on the brink and in danger of seeing the Celtics raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy on Friday night.
Nothing about Doncic’s performance in Game 3 was especially impressive, and he has been largely criticized for his poor defensive play and bad attitude.
ESPN analyst and former Boston Celtics big man Kendrick Perkins went searching for his pound of flesh, too, unleashing an incredible expletive-laden late-night rant on the “Road Trippin'” podcast.
“Let’s cut the (expletive) bull (expletive). … Let’s call the spade a spade,” Perkins said. “We looking at the Dallas side of things: Kyrie Irving showed up and did was he was supposed to do. Ain’t no other way around it: Luka (expletive) off the game. He drained his team emotionally, even (Mavs head coach Jason Kidd). It started from the tip, the complaining every damn possession down, the falling on the floor, not getting back in transition, not making a second effort. He didn’t box out one time.”
Perkins joined the chorus of those roundly criticizing Doncic for focusing on the wrong things and even accused the superstar of quitting on his team.
“It was a timeout, he’s yelling at his teammate, and his teammate was nowhere involved in the play,” Perkins said. “Who are you mad at it? The bull (expletive) fouls. That was not a charge. Why even put yourself in that position? He tapped out.
“By far, the worst performance I’ve seen from Luka in the playoffs. Lack of energy, lack of leadership, emotions wasn’t there. He wet the bed at the crib.”
It has become increasingly clear that the Mavericks are nowhere near as talented as the Celtics. No team has ever erased a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA, either. This thing is basically over. At this point, if you’re a Mavericks fan, you just want to see some fight from Doncic starting Friday night.
He sure has no shortage of motivation.
