Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Even Luka Doncic can struggle in the NBA Finals

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Jun 10, 2024 8:45 AM ET

A brief glimpse at the box score from the Dallas Mavericks' 105-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday would tell you that Luka Doncic had an exceptional game. He ended the night with a triple-double in points (32), rebounds (11) and assists (11). However, those numbers only tell half of the story.

Doncic also turned the ball over on eight occasions. He shot 50 percent from the free-throw line. Playing on the biggest stage of his career, Doncic appears to be feeling the pressure. Therefore, it was no surprise that he accepted some of the blame as the Mavericks fell to a 0-2 deficit against the Celtics.

"They have a lot of great players. Basically anybody can get off. I think we didn’t do a bad job defending today. We took away some threes, we contested some more threes,” Doncic said in his postgame news conference. "But like I said, I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game."

Doncic is unquestionably the most talented player in this year's NBA Finals. However, he is facing the best team in the NBA. He can't win games on his own. Doncic must begin trusting his teammates if he wants to help turn this series around. It's a lesson Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown learned in 2022. You can see the growth in their overall games because of it.

During his time in Europe, Doncic played in big games. He competed for championships. The NBA Finals is different, though. It takes a certain level of commitment and sacrifice to overcome one of the best teams on the planet.

Doncic is still playing a heavy brand of isolation basketball, expecting late passes to bail him out of 20 seconds of dilly-dallying. He needs to be more direct with his approach. More aggressive.

The next two games will be in Dallas. Doncic will be on his home floor. He will undoubtedly hope to have better performances. Otherwise, the series could end far sooner than anyone expected. If the Celtics win Game 3, they will be champions in four or five games.

Perhaps that's how Doncic will learn the lessons he needs. Even the greatest players have failed at this stage of the postseason, and it's almost a prerequisite to winning a championship in the future.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

More must-reads: