Boston Celtics Legends Shockingly Praise Luka Doncic Despite NBA Finals Battle

The Celtics alumni praised the Mavericks superstar despite Boston playing him in NBA Finals.

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after a play against the Boston Celtics during the fourth quarter during game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic has caught a lot of flack for his NBA Finals performance. Not necessarily because he's incredibly cold from the field or unwilling to pass the ball -- which neither are true -- but because of his constant nagging at refs and lack of playing winning basketball.

Evidently, Doncic, along with co-star Kyrie Irving, willed the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals after posting the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Doncic played a huge role in getting the team in a position to compete for an NBA title.

While there is room to criticize the Mavericks franchise player, there's plenty of his praises to be sung. The 25-year-old forward is a generational talent, and that can't be masked from his NBA Finals performance.

READ MORE: Former Dallas Maverick Blasts Criticism of Luka Doncic in NBA Finals

Doncic has the Mavericks back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011, and he's had to piggyback the team until this point. Without him, there is no shot at a title this season.

With all the noise surrounding Doncic, two Boston Celtics legends and 2008 NBA Champions took to a podcast to share praise towards the Mavericks superstar. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, on their show Ticket & The Truth, both had positive words to say of Doncic, despite him battling their former franchise on the biggest stage.

"[Luka Doncic] hit the league in his prime," Pierce said on the show.

Doncic averaged 21.2 points per game as a rookie, and he's since averaged 28 points per game at minimum. After winning Rookie of the Year, Doncic has finished top-five in Most Valuable Player voting in all but one of those seasons.

"Luka is set up to be the only one to catch [LeBron James]," Garnett said. "Don't nobody wanna say that (expletive)."

Both Pierce and Garnett understand the level of talent Doncic is. He's generational. Averaging 28.7 points per game in his career, Doncic is young enough that it feels inevitable an NBA title and MVP award are both in his future.

While there is going to be a negative connotation around Doncic after the Mavericks eventually fall in the NBA Finals to the Celtics, he'll bounce back next season with MVP-level play and another very strong season.

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READ MORE: Knicks' Jalen Brunson Defends Mavericks' Luka Doncic Against 'Unfair' Criticism

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