ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called out Luka Doncic’s ‘unacceptable’ performance in Game 3 loss vs. Celtics

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ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called out Luka Doncic’s ‘unacceptable’ performance in Game 3 loss vs. Celtics

Posted By: jasabacklink June 13, 2024

Morning Sports Update

“The fact that he came out after the game and blamed the officials showed me he’s nowhere close yet.”

Luka Doncic after fouling out of Game 3 of the NBA Finals in the Celtics’ win over the Mavericks to take a 3-0 series lead. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff

Brian Windhorst sounds off on Luka Doncic: The play of Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was one of the polarizing subplots of the Celtics’ win in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

More specifically, Doncic’s demeanor regarding foul calls (and his own decision making) were a subject of discussion after the 25-year-old calamitously fouled out as Dallas fell into an 0-3 series hole with the loss. In the immediate postgame, ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst offered a moment of editorial commentary during a SportsCenter appearance with Scott Van Pelt, calling out Doncic’s behavior.

“I thought it was perfect that Luka fell onto the ground there in an unacceptable position to put himself in with four minutes left with five fouls, and then immediately looks at the bench and says, ‘You better bleeping challenge it,’” Windhorst began, “as if its the bench’s fault that he just made a terrible play.”

Windhorst continued his blunt criticism of Doncic.

“I’m standing here in the Mavericks’ tunnel. Over there is the Celtics’ tunnel. That’s where the winners are,” said Windhorst. “If Luka is ever going to be a winner coming out of this tunnel here, he’s going to have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience.

“His defensive performance is unacceptable. He’s a hole on the court. The Celtics are attacking him. They are ahead in this series because they’ve attacked him defensively,” he continued. “And you’ve got a situation here where Luka is complaining about the officiating. They have begged him, they have talked with him, they have pleaded with him—he’s costing his team because of how he treats the officials.”

Doncic drew four fouls in the fourth quarter, with his frustration growing after each call (culminating with the sixth in which he emphatically called for Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd to challenge it only for Dallas to lose the ensuing challenge).

In Windhorst’s view, no one is disputing Doncic’s talent. He’s lead the Mavericks in virtually every offensive category throughout the series. But the drawbacks of his game are magnified against the Celtics’ team-first mentality, which is also predicated on playing tougher defense than the Slovenian star is currently showing.

“He’s a brilliant player, he does so many things well,” Windhorst explained. “They are here because of how he did. His performance in this game is unacceptable and the reason why the Mavericks are not going to win. He’s got to get over this.”

In the postgame press conference, Doncic questioned the officiating despite placing himself in a difficult spot (trying to draw a charge at the three-point line while carrying five fouls).

“I mean, I don’t know. We couldn’t play physical so, I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing but [a] sixth foul in the NBA Finals when I basically am like this?” Doncic told reporters, gesturing as though he had been standing still. “Come on, man, better than that.”

“The fact that he came out after the game and blamed the officials showed me he’s nowhere close yet,” Windhorst concluded. “So maybe over the summer someone will get to him because nobody with the Mavericks or anybody in his life has, and that’s why the Mavericks are at this point. They’re never going to this tunnel with the trophy if he doesn’t improve those aspects of his game.”

The NBA Finals, as Doncic noted, are not finished yet even with Boston holding a seemingly unassailable 3-0 lead.

“It’s not over till it’s over,” Doncic reminded reporters.

Yet as Windhorst pointed out, Boston appears to hold the upper hand not only because of their collective team play but also due to their opponent’s best player not being able to keep his cool.

Trivia: Luka Doncic was, like leading Celtics Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the third overall pick in his NBA Draft. Can you name the two players taken before him in 2018?

(Answer at the bottom.)

Hint: Both were “one-and-done” players, coming from Arizona and Duke, respectively.

Scores and schedules:

The Celtics held off a late Mavericks rally to win Game 3 of the NBA Finals 106-99. Boston leads the series 3-0 and can clinch a championship with one more win on Friday in Game 4 in Dallas.

The Red Sox got an 8-6 win over the Phillies on Wednesday. The two teams conclude the three-game series today at Fenway Park at 7:10 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

The intro from last night’s Brady Hall of Fame ceremony:

And one of the standout moments: Here’s Bill Belichick’s introduction to one of the loudest ovations of the night.

On this day: In 2011, the Bruins forced a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals, defeating the Canucks 5-2 after ripping four first-period goals to win Game 6.

Daily highlight: Jaylen Brown threw it down for the Celtics during the Game 3 win.

Trivia answer: Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III