In the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, there was a fleeting moment when it seemed Luka Doncic might single-handedly overcome the Boston Celtics. For a brief spell, the Dallas Mavericks superstar appeared capable of making the daunting task of winning a championship seem almost effortless.
Doncic hit a dazzling step-back three-pointer, cutting what had been a blowout to a 13-point deficit. Following a steal, Kyrie Irving sank a graceful fadeaway, trimming the gap to 11. Less than a minute later, Doncic drilled another step-back three, narrowing the margin to eight and making Boston’s once-commanding 29-point lead feel like a distant memory. The previously confident and raucous TD Garden crowd fell silent.
A vocal Celtics fan, who had been boastful all game, broke the tension with a muttered curse aimed at Doncic.
At just 25 years old, Doncic is still years younger than many of his contemporaries who are vying for championships. His friends and rivals, like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid, have already claimed MVPs and, in some cases, championships. Doncic, however, has yet to secure any such accolades. Nevertheless, his brilliance in Game 1 suggested he might be on the verge of changing that narrative.
However, reality quickly reasserted itself. After Jaylen Brown made one of two free throws, shrinking Boston’s lead to nine, Doncic grabbed the rebound and facilitated a pass to Irving for a potential game-changing three. The shot missed.
This moment underscored the harsh truth: winning a championship is incredibly difficult. The margin between glory and failure can be agonizingly thin.
Doncic’s third-quarter heroics highlighted the immense challenge ahead. Despite his best efforts, his support from the bench was negligible. Daniel Gafford and Derrick Lively II were mostly invisible, and Boston’s relentless defense often left Doncic isolated. He finished with 30 points on 12-of-26 shooting, including 4-of-12 from beyond the arc, but it wasn’t enough.
Irving, typically a late-game saviour, struggled in his return to Boston, scoring just 12 points on 6-of-19 shooting and missing all five of his three-point attempts. The Boston crowd’s chants of “Kyrie sucks!” after Jaylen Brown blocked one of his shots highlighted his tough night.
This game demonstrated that even the greatest players need support. LeBron James couldn’t secure the title alone in the 2015 Finals when Irving was injured, and Steph Curry couldn’t overcome Toronto in 2019 without Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. Doncic’s path to a ring will be no different.
The Western Conference is expected to be fiercely competitive in the coming years. While the Mavericks have the potential to return to the Finals, so do many other teams. Even Mavericks coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that if Dallas wins this series, Doncic could become the franchise’s greatest player.
Luka Doncic himself expressed uncertainty about future opportunities, emphasizing the precarious nature of this championship quest. Starting Sunday, he and his teammates must approach every game as if it’s their only shot at greatness. The line between achieving legendary status and falling short is razor-thin, and Doncic is determined to stay on the right side of it.
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