The one new thing we learned about Doncic after teary Mavs return

“After that video, I was, like, ’There’s no way I’m playing this game,‘” said someone behind a wall of tears in the aftermath of the Lakers’ 112-97 win against the Dallas Mavericks. “It was so many emotions.”

The someone was Luka Doncic, the Mavericks legend who called Dallas home for over 6 years, turning them from perennial underachievers into one of the NBA’s most feared opponents. He arrived there from Europe, from Real Madrid more specifically, and grew as a player and a person into what he is today: one of the very best people in the sport.

Ahead of the game, the Mavericks serenaded Doncic with a lengthy video showing his highlights of his time in their jersey. An attempt to get him to switch back at the last minute? A plot to rattle him and make his legs wobble? The video, like all solid scientific experiments, brought results: an emotional Doncic is a scary Doncic. Perhaps next time they’ll welcome Luka with a video of some donkeys staring at a garden gate, or a sailboat bobbing up and down on the waves. Please, nothing that makes his Superman tears flow. Because what we saw was simply monstrous from the Slovenian.

‘I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me’

Doncic wiped away his tears and proceeded to wipe the floor with his opponents, galloping up and down the court, a 1.98-metre-tall bag of helium, slipping and sliding through gaps like an octopus with a penchant for quantum physics, the tears seemingly giving him superduperhuman abilities way above his normal range.

A total of 45 solo points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists later and the poor Mavs were searching for donkeys or sailboats to watch instead of the horror film they’d been forced to witness; LA’s playoff spot was sealed thanks to Doncic’s blitzkrieg attack strategy against the basket and the crowd, unsure of what to do, just began to scream Luka’s name.

“Big time, because they all had my back,” Doncic said of sharing the moment with the Lakers players. “Everybody had my back, from coaches to players, and we’re trying to build something special here. That was really, really, really nice to see.” On the fan reaction, his words were simple but effective: “I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me.”

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In typical demanding coach fashion, JJ Redick joked that “I thought he was going to get 50, I was disappointed“, before admitting that winning the championship is not impossible: ”Does that mean we’re going to win an NBA championship or get to the conference finals? I don’t know. But it was an awesome moment for everyone.”

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