Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic addresses reporters after a team practice in preparation for Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Boston.has said it more than once recently, and he said it again Saturday after a light workout at TD Garden. He always says it with a half-smile as if he knows it’s the proper thing to say but cannot process that it might actually be true.
But has it become even more difficult in the current era for great players to win titles? The numbers suggest that’s true in a couple of different ways. First, simply look at the MVP winners — a club that still excludes Luka for now — of the last 20 years. Denver’s Nikola Jokic is the champ with three awards. He’s been to one Finals. Same for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won the MVP twice. It’s hard to get back — at least so far — for the truly special.
If you want to argue that the NBA is about more than just a 3-point contest, well, that’s true in a technical sense. But look at the number of games won by the team that has a better night from three-point land.. Boston had other reasons for winning, but the ability to shoot threes was at the top of the list.Because of the three, more teams find ways to win in the postseason. The Finals are rarely 1 vs 1 seeds any more.
So it makes sense that Coach Jason Kidd told his team to have fun at halftime, even when it was trailing by 21 Thursday night. You never know when you’re going to make it back.When you look at the West next year, no matter how this series goes, Dallas will be one of the teams looked to finish near the top. But the same is true for Jokic and the Nuggets.