Dallas Basketball

Mavs LISTEN: FIBA World Cup Preview; Luka Doncic Already Hall of Fame Worthy?

The FIBA World Cup is just hours away from tipping off, and the Mavs Step Back Podcast has a full preview with a special focus on Team USA, Slovenia, Australia and Canada. Also, is Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic already a Hall of Fame lock if he retired today?

Dalton Trigg

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With the FIBA World Cup is just hours away from tipping off, the Mavs Step Back Podcast has you covered with a preview focused on these national teams: Team USA, Slovenia, Australia and Canada. Although Luka Doncic and Slovenia don't play on Day 1, Dallas Mavericks players Josh Green and Dante Exum will take the floor at 3 a.m. CT as Australia takes on Finland in Okinawa, Japan. Then, at 8:30 a.m. CT, Dwight Powell and Canada will face France in Jakarta, Indonesia.

On this episode, we discuss Team USA being more beatable than usual despite still being the tournament favorite. Slovenia slipped four spots in the recent international power rankings to No. 8, but with a healthy Doncic, they will have an opportunity to make some noise against any team they face along the way. Also, is Canada the dark hose to win the whole thing?

From there, we recap the Mavs' offseason moves and forecast what could be in store for the team as we inch closer to training camp. Also, if Doncic retired today at the young age of 24 years old, would he be a lock for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame? His full resume, including his international and NBA accolades, makes it hard to argue against the idea. If you want to vote on this particular topic, you can do so below:

On Saturday, Doncic and Slovenia will officially tip things off against Venezuela in their first World Cup match. If you're in the U.S., you'll want to grab a cup of coffee for this one, as it tips off at 6:30 a.m. CT. Team USA then plays New Zealand at 7:40 a.m. CT.

"First of all, we met Venezuela two years ago when we played pre-Olympic qualifiers we played in the semifinals," Slovenian national team coach Aleksander Sekulic said. "I know everybody is thinking about us as favorites and Venezuela underdogs, but I think we have to go on the court and prove this.

"I believe they're a better team than the team we played two years ago. We can expect that match from them."

FIBA World Cup games can be streamed on ESPN+ or the Courtside 1891 app. If you want to watch with Courtside 1891, use promo code "DBCOM" at checkout for 20 percent off any package you sign up for. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for more extensive FIBA World Cup coverage throughout the next three weeks.

You can listen to today's entire Mavs Step Back Podcast episode below. Thanks for tuning in, and as always, be sure to hit that 'subscribe' button!

Follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter. SUBSCRIBE to Mavs Step Back on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Mavericks? Click Here. Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter and Facebook.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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