Mavericksā Luka DonÄiÄ stands on precipice of greatness that always seemed inevitable
MINNEAPOLIS ā As Luka DonÄiÄ sat down in the tiny postgame news conference room, the smallest one heāll be in until his season ends, he placed a trophy on the table in front of him. It was given to him after being voted the MVP in the Western Conference finals, the award starting with a gleaming gold dais of sorts that supported the silver orb atop it. He wasnāt sure, he admitted, how itāll fit into his trophy case.
ā(Itāll go) home,ā said DonÄiÄ, the only destination he was sure of in this moment. āI donāt know where yet.ā
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DonÄiÄās glittering accolades are too numerous to list. He has a trophy from Real Madridās 2018 EuroLeague championship, but none from Sloveniaās first-ever EuroBasket victory in 2017. There are countless plaques and medallions, too many to remember, from past tournaments and finals he starred in long ago. What was on his mind, other than a postgame beer, wasnāt his new metallic hunk, but the pursuit of one even more golden.
On Thursday, in Game 5ās 124-103 victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves, DonÄiÄ advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time. Along with him came his new set of teammates, the best heās ever had, amplifying their transcendent superstar who seemed destined to reach this stage.
Now he has.
It has been 13 years since the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals. Thirteen years since they lifted the crown under Dirk Nowitzkiās charge for the first time in the franchiseās history. Thirteen years toiling in Nowitzkiās twilight and then learning how to trust in DonÄiÄ after his arrival. This is Nowitzkiās franchise, always will be, but thereās no better successor. Not because these two legends are identical ā not even close ā but because they share one trait: A ruthless winning desire that uplifts all around them. What Nowitzki left, DonÄiÄ carried forward. Now, heās arrived in the same place Nowitzki once took them: into the finals, against the Boston Celtics, beginning June 6.
DonÄiÄ didnāt watch the NBA finals growing up. āIt was 4 in the morning,ā he said. āI couldnāt. I had school the next day.ā
But from Game 5ās opening minutes, he left no doubt he would reach his first one. He had 10 points in the first three minutes, 15 in the first eight and 20 by the time the quarter ended, with the Timberwolves scoring just 19 themselves.
āI turn around, and heās shooting it from half court,ā starting center Daniel Gafford said. āIām like, āAt this point, I donāt even need to set a screen for you, brother.āā
It was a display of finality that DonÄiÄ has exhibited many times before, most famously against the Phoenix Suns in a closeout Game 7 two seasons ago.
āThis one was very close to that,ā Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. āHe took the crowd out of the game right off the bat, and he let his teammates know that itās time.ā
DonÄiÄās 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting was matched by his co-star running mate, Kyrie Irving, who had 36 himself. Irving is the one player on the team who has been to the finals before. Irving is the best player DonÄiÄ has ever played with, one who matched him shot for shot in Thursdayās closeout win. He ensured DonÄiÄās snarling-and-screaming eminence was affixed to his own steady-and-sure resolve. With those two atop the team, in games where they both decide losing isnāt an option, thereās a certainty in the results.
The teammates surrounding them ā ones DonÄiÄ met for the first time 12, 10 or even three months ago ā have quickly earned the entirety of DonÄiÄ on-court faith.
When DonÄiÄ is unstoppable, his teammates turn into the escalation of his brilliance. Play him straight up, and DonÄiÄ overcomes whatever high-flying athleticism he lacks for heaven-grazing lob passes that Gafford brings down into the rimās mortal coil. Double-team him, and thereās the rookie phenom Dereck Lively II catching the ball at the free-throw line and swinging it to an open teammate ā usually P.J. Washington or Derrick Jones Jr., two defensive stalwarts who have quickly learned that hesitation is an unnecessary sensation when those deliveries are imbued with DonÄiÄās own confidence in them.
Sometimes, Josh Green tries passes so audacious you wonder if DonÄiÄ might be puppeteering him when they succeed. At other points, old friends like Maxi Kleber emerge with veteran know-how to remind us that DonÄiÄ still is a young man of just 25, still not even yet in his prime, despite watching teammates age into and out of theirs. Even 21-year-old second-year guard Jaden Hardy, revived in the past two weeks, struts about with a swagger that at least must partially come from DonÄiÄ.
DonÄiÄ is always at the levers, manning this teamās helm. His hagiography is earned through nights like this, where thereās no way to watch him and think anything except that heās the best basketballer alive. Whether he and his teammates are enough, right now, to topple the Boston Celtics will be determined. The battle will be fought over seven games, or six, or however many it takes.
āWeāre not done here,ā DonÄiÄ said. āWe need four more.ā
DonÄiÄās trophy case, the one which heāll stuff his newly awarded slab into wherever itāll fit, could use a centerpiece. What DonÄiÄ would like to see in that spot is the largest trophy this sport can offer. Heās always wanted that from the first moment he entered this league laden with laurels which he intended to exceed.
Now begins his first chance.
Required Reading
(Top photo of Luka DonÄiÄ and his father, Sasa: David Berding / Getty Images)
Dallas Mavericks, NBA
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