Luka Doncic Says He 'Didn't Do Enough' For Dallas Mavericks to Win NBA Finals

Despite a historic postseason and playing through injuries, Doncic says he could've been better

Jun 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) guards Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the fourth quarter in game three of the 2024 NBA Finals at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Mavericks fell just short of their ultimate goal, losing in five games to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. While the season can be considered a success overall, it stings for the team to make it this far and leave empty-handed.

Luka Doncic exits The Finals as this postseason's leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and field goals made yet was dealing with various injuries, ranging from a knee sprain, sore ankle, and a thoracic contusion. There was never a moment in these playoffs where Doncic was playing at 100% but he's not using that as an excuse.

"It doesn't matter if I was hurt, how much I was hurt, I was out there," Doncic responded in a press conference Monday night when asked how injured he was. "I tried to play, but I didn't do enough."

Luka: "It doesn't matter if I was hurt... I was out there... I didn't do enough." pic.twitter.com/SRntZpSv64

— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 18, 2024

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Even with those injuries, Doncic averaged 29.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 5.6 APG while shooting 47.2% from the field but just 24.4% from 3 and 58.6% from the free throw line in The Finals. It's fair to wonder if his legs gave out on him towards the end, as he ended the last three games just 3/24 from deep. His 5.6 APG is his lowest average ever for a playoff series, which paints the bigger picture of his teammates not providing a lot of help.

Doncic faced a lot of criticism this series about his defense and his lashing out at officials (which was tame in this series compared to some in the past), but it's fair to wonder if his lingering injuries factored into his defensive performance. He's never been an above-average defender, but he's rarely asked to be one given his duties on the offense end. Against a team like Boston that has five shot-creators on the floor at all times, there's no one he could relax against.

It's still up in the air if Doncic will play in the Pre-Olympic qualifiers for his home country of Slovenia or if he takes time to get rest and heal his ailments. He had been receiving numbing injections throughout The Finals for his chest injury and likely receiving injections in his knee earlier in the playoffs, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him have surgery at some point this offseason.

Doncic's play is far from the biggest reason the Mavericks didn't hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but he'll specifically look back on Game 3 when he fouled out as they were coming back from 21 points down. They likely would've won that game had he stayed on the floor, but without him, Kyrie Irving just couldn't do enough to get Dallas over the hump.

READ MORE: Former Champion Dirk Nowitzki Reacts To Dallas Mavericks Losing in NBA Finals

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