No Pressure: Mavs Star Luka Doncic Built For Brightest Lights

Doncic usually shines the brightest in the most pressured situations, and he’s been that way since his pre-NBA days.

Aside from the subpar performance we witnessed on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals — which could’ve been the result of an illness — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has been one of the best playoff performers in NBA history so far in his young career.

Pressure doesn’t affect Doncic, at least not in a negative way — and it’s been that way since he was a teenager playing against grown and seasoned professionals overseas.

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In 2018, before Doncic flew to the U.S. for the first time to attend the NBA Draft, he led Real Madrid to a EuroLeague championship. His teammate, Fabien Causeur, recalls the night before Doncic scored 15 points in the final game.

“It was 2 [a.m.] and I couldn’t sleep,” said Causeur. “But Luka was snoring on the side like there was no pressure at all. For him, it was just another game. The kid was special, I’m telling you.”

That natural ability to not feel pressured is just something Doncic was born with, and it’s been on full display throughout the Mavs’ surprising run to the Western Conference Finals.

After missing the first three games of the Mavs’ first-round series against the Utah Jazz, Doncic came back in Game 4 and helped put the series away in six games. It was the Mavs’ first series win in 11 years, and Doncic scored a team-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks in the 98-96 close-out win on the road.

In the second round against the Phoenix Suns, the Mavs lost the first two games of the series, despite Doncic scoring a combined 80 points in those games. But then Doncic and the Mavs proceeded to win four of the next five games against the Suns to win the series in seven. It ended with an exclamation point, as Doncic poured in 35 points on 12-19 shooting, including 6-11 from deep, in just 30 minutes of action as the Mavs eclipsed the Suns, 123-90 on the road.

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Doncic ended that second-round series with more points than Devin Booker, more assists than Chris Paul, more rebounds than big man DeAndre Ayton, and more steals than First Team All-Defense player Mikal Bridges — all while coming back from a 2-0 series hole. Doncic was dominant, and when the lights were the brightest, he shined even brighter.

Although things got off to a rocky start against the Golden State Warriors in a 112-87 Game 1 loss on Wednesday night, Doncic and the Mavs have been here before, and their confidence will not waver.

“It's (only) one game. That's what the playoffs (are) about,” said Doncic. “If you lose by one or lose by 40, it's a loss. We've just got to get ready for Game 2 now.”

Would we be surprised if the much more experienced and championship-tested Warriors ended up closing the door on the Mavs’ season in this series? Not at all. Do we think Doncic is capable of pushing the Mavs past the Warriors and into the NBA Finals? You bet we do. Both things can be true at once.

Who knows how the rest of this conference finals will go, but one thing is for sure — if the Dallas can’t conquer Golden State, it won’t be because Doncic couldn’t handle the pressure.