Luka Doncic Details 'Tough Road' for Dallas Mavericks to NBA Finals; Embraces Boston Celtics Matchup

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was instrumental in guiding his team to a spot in the 2024 NBA Finals with a matchup against the Boston Celtics, requiring what he called a "tough road."

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) at a press conference after winning the Western Conference Championship against the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

MINNEAPOLIS — Luka Doncic did it again. In a road closeout game, he used the hostile crowd to his advantage and led the Dallas Mavericks to a series-winning victory. This time, it occurred at Target Center with an NBA Finals appearance on the line. After scoring 20 of his 36 points in the first quarter, the Mavs never looked back and achieved a 124-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5, clinching a 4-1 series victory.

Doncic showcased his full offensive arsenal against Minnesota. Between dialing up his 3-point shooting off-the-dribble in pick-and-roll, snaking into the gap for short-range shots, getting to the rim for finishes, often playing off two and deceiving the defense with his timing, and delivering impressive spray-out and lob passes to teammates, he truly did it all.

"Set the tone. I just got to set the tone," Doncic said about his hot start. "That's about it."

May 30, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) during the second half in game five of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic admitted that it's "way sweeter" to have these playoff moments on the road. "When you score a bucket, it gets a little bit quieter. So that's why it's sweeter," he explained. "But it doesn't matter if we win at home [or] if we win away. We just want to win."

There was one courtside fan that got Doncic going. "Who's crying now, motherf---er?" he yelled back in response to a fan.

Doncic explained that he couldn't reveal what was said to him, but it gets him going. "I can't tell you. If I tell you, I can sue him," he said. "But you know that that gets me going. Everybody knows that by now, so. Gotta do it."

Doncic's superstar teammate, Kyrie Irving, quickly knew he was witnessing a special performance. He helped guide the team throughout the flow of the game as well, scoring 36 points while making 14 of 27 shots overall and finishing 4 of 10 from deep. He added five assists and four rebounds. Collectively, Dallas' dynamic tandem combined for 72 points to set the tone. He was

"I was enjoying it just like everyone else was, man. He had 20 points in what felt like six or seven minutes, and you’re just watching a special performance unfold," Irving said. "As a teammate, you just want to continue to do the little things to bring the lead a bit further along and just continue to play well. We were happy where we were, but we weren’t satisfied because we knew it was a long game. But when Luka starts off the game like that, we’re a tough team to beat.

"So, kudos to him for having a great series, a great playoff run in general, but just leading us that way and easing the tension and emotions starting off the game," Irving explained.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd described Doncic's performance as witnessing the superstar as being in "Luka magic mode." Doing so made it simpler for the rest of the team to rise to the occasion. "He set the tone, and then he made it easier for everyone else," he said. "Everybody else stepped up."

The progression to go from finishing a 38-44 record last season and picking the NBA Draft lottery to reaching the NBA Finals is not lost on Doncic. He praised the group for being special, whether it's his teammates or the coaching staff that sticks together.

"Insane. I think we've got a great team, but most importantly, we've got great guys and great guys in the team from players to coaches to everybody in the team," Doncic said. "We have great guys and that's the most important thing.... We stay together and we just play basketball, especially I think would be three very, very, very good teams. I have a home advantage, which is, which is pretty good for us."

It required no shortage of ups and downs, including even losing in the Western Conference finals in 2022 to the Golden State Warriors before making it back to this stage again.

"It means a lot man means a lot," Doncic said. "It's not easy. It was a very hard road, but we are here. Obviously, we're not done. We have four more. But I think today we all deserve to enjoy this win."

Doncic didn't draw much from that previous conference finals series, expressing how this Mavericks team—one that's undergone significant changes—is a young squad without much playoff experience. Of course, aside from 32-year-old Kyrie Irving, who is set to compete in his fourth NBA Finals, but this time, his first outside of his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"I think we have a young team. I'm sorry. Kyrie's getting old," Doncic jokingly said. "We're a young team still. There's a lot of people that wasn't in the playoffs. We had that talk before players, everybody together and we just play. We like to play basketball, like to play together. That's it. "

The focus quickly shifts to preparing for the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, but don't expect to hear about Doncic's favorite childhood memories while watching historic matchups. He admitted that he didn't get to watch the NBA Finals while growing up in Slovenia due to the difference in the time zone. "I didn't watch, I didn't watch because it was four in the morning," he said.

Doncic holds a strong respect for the Celtics, describing them as being the best team in the NBA. With star wing players like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, along with tough on-ball defenders like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, plus stretch bigs including Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, Boston has posed challenges for eveyr te

"I mean, they're the best team in the NBA. They had by far the best record," Doncic said. "They have some incredible weapons on offense and defense. So we're going to have to play really hard and amazing basketball to beat them. "

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Playoffs.

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