Mavs Donuts: Luka Doncic on 'Special Bond; Chris Paul 'Secret Tunnel' Fight?

Dallas didn't play well enough in Games 1 and 2 to make believers out of most observers. But in the last two outings, two straight home wins, they have befuddled the Suns and in particular Chris Paul.

DALLAS - There is an almost endless array of explanations - deep X's-and-O's reasons - for why the Dallas Mavericks have erased the Phoenix Suns’ 2-0 lead in this Western Conference semifinals series.

Dallas Mavs Donuts bakes 'em up ...

DONUT 1: CHRIS PAUL'S SECRET TUNNEL Luka Doncic was going to have to be ready to get ambushed in his own AAC locker room due to a "secret tunnel'' that Chris Paul was going to use in leading his Phoenix Suns into a fistfight?

Really?

No.

This is a parody account, playing off a previous story this year on Paul wanting to use a "secret tunnel'' in another game, in another arena.

They had us going for a second there, though.

(Actually, Luka and Paul came out of Game 4 just fine with one another. See below.)

DONUT 2: THE BOND Doncic, despite his complexity as a basketball genius, believes he knows exactly how to explain it what's happening in the actual series with simplicity and clarity.

“If we have a one-percent chance, we’re going to believe,'' Doncic said following Dallas' 111-101 Game 4 win here Sunday at the AAC. "This team is special. This bond is special.''

Is it that easy? Really?

DONUT 3: 'SIMPLE,' NOT 'EASY' Luka's explanation is a simple one. But "chemistry'' isn't "easy.''

The Mavs, almost immediately after this season's trade-away of Kristaps Porzingis, can testify to that.

Really, most of all, of course Luka is special, as his performance here in Game 4 (26 points and much more) pushes him to the statistical level of legends - Wilt stuff and Jordan stuff. (Read here.)

"Staying together - if it goes good, if it goes bad - that’s the key,'' Luka said.

DONUT 4: DFS DAY Doncic had help, on this day largely in the form of Dorian Finney-Smith, who scored a playoff career-high 24 points on the most 3-pointers he's ever had.

DFS

Paul vs. Fan

Cool Hand Luka

He was 8 of 12 from deep, his run including back-to-back 3s to give Dallas a 14-point lead midway through the fourth.

“Luka told me when I had five 3s, ‘You’re about to get some more,’” said Finney-Smith, who finished one short of the Dallas franchise playoff record of nine 3s by Jason Terry ... which as it happens occurred in the Mother's Day rout of the Lakers in Dallas' 2011 title run. “When LD tells you you’re about to get some more 3s, I figured I was going to get some.”

What's that all about?

A "belief.'' A "bond.'' Something "special.''

DONUT 5: CONFUSING CHRIS Dallas didn't play well enough in Games 1 and 2 to make believers out of most observers. But in the last two outings, two straight home wins, they have befuddled the Suns and in particular Chris Paul.

In Game 3, he committed seven turnovers in the first half alone. In Game 4, he totaled more fouls (six, good for his disqualification) than points (a meaningless five).

"It was all a blur,'' said Paul.

DONUT 6: MOTHER'S DAY EMBARRASSMENT There was another problem for Paul, who was additionally troubled by a Dallas fan who "put his hands on my mom.'' (Full story here)

The Mavs and the AAC security people did as they are supposed to do. We will continue to investigate the issue.

And no "secret tunnels'' allowed.

DONUT 7: 'BEST IN BASKETBALL The Suns - "the best team in basketball,'' as Dallas coach Jason Kidd has characterized Phoenix - are far from done here. They are at home in Tuesday's Game 6, and Paul isn't likely to continue to give Devin Booker (35 points) so little help often again.

Additionally, the Phoenix crowd, maybe fueled by CP3's family-related incident in Dallas, might be out for figurative blood.

In other words, only for the moment is Phoenix "reeling.'' That can be fixed, and Dallas must be aware of that.

DONUT 8: WE ARE THE WARRIORS No, not those Warriors. But ...

Doncic is wowed by his teammates, who have made major adjustments in Dallas' back-to-back wins and shutting Chris Paul down.

“That’s Reggie (Bullock) and Doe (Dorian Finney-Smith), man," Doncic said after the game. "Those two guys are warriors. Those two guys, they don’t complain about how many shots they get. They don’t complain about anything. 

"They just play hard and play defense. I’m really happy to have both of them on our team.”

Ah, yes. Bonding.

DONUT 9 LUKA AND CP3 There is mutual admiration here, as evidenced late in the game, when Doncic drew a foul with a bit of a flop, and Paul quizzed him on the court.

On Paul's fourth foul, he got whistled for the loose-ball foul as Luka went tumbling.

Paul to Luka: :Did I push you that hard?''

"No, not that hard,'' Luka responded. "But it was a smart play.''

"Yeah,'' Paul acknowledged. "I know.''

So, no, no "secret tunnel.''

JB, Paul, Luka

Paul and Mom

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Luka

Oh, and what was it like to get Paul fouled out?

DONUT 10: PROFESSOR PAUL Indeed he does, because CP3 is an all-time NBA master of the flop, a point stressed by coach Kidd in the postgame. Kidd suggested that this generation of players learned how to flop by watching Paul.

“We’re being taught by one of the best point guards ever on the other side," Kidd said. "That’s pretty cool.”

DONUT 11: HOW BIG? “It’s big-time, man,” said Luka of getting Paul out of the game. “He’s one of the best point guards this league ever had. His mentality is insane, the way he sees the court. His IQ is amazing. It was big time. If you don’t have CP out there, it’s for sure tougher on (his) team.”

DONUT 12: THE FINAL WORD “Our defense won us these two games. Our defense was way better than the first two games. I don’t think offense was the problem in any of these games, but if we play defense, I always say we’re a dangerous team.” - Luka.

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