Add Grant Hill to the long list of analysts, former players and fans calling for Luka Doncic to show more maturity on the floor. During his Friday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Hill stressed the need for the Dallas Mavericks' franchise player to “grow up” with regard to how he interacts with officials.
“I think one the maturity and the gamesmanship that goes into the interacting with officials, you know you have to pick and choose your spots. If you're constantly getting on them and getting distracted, and getting caught up in that game within the game then you become a problem,” Hill said. “And we've seen that from [Doncic] in the regular season, but we've also seen it throughout the playoffs and even in this series. So I think if he can grow up from that standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, not being caught up or consumed in that and just playing the game I think that would help him and it help his teammates.”
Doncic fouled out of Wednesday's Game 3 with just over four minutes remaining, as the Boston Celtics clung to a three-point lead. Officials blew the whistle for a blocking foul when Doncic attempted to slide in front of Jaylen Brown in secondary transition and draw a charge. He quickly yelled to Dallas' bench to challenge the call, forced to watch from the bench for the game's remainder after Jason Kidd's challenge was ruled unsuccessful.
“We couldn’t play physical… I don’t want to say nothing,” a frustrated Doncic said after the game, per ClutchPoints' Mavs beat writer Joey Mistretta. “Six fouls in the NBA Finals. C’mon man. Be better than that.”
Dallas fell to Boston 106-99, scoring nine points on eight shots with Doncic as the home team's comeback hopes were dashed. The Celtics take a commanding 3-0 lead into Friday's Game 4 at American Airlines Center, on verge of winning the organization's long-awaited 18th championship.
Luka Doncic vows to take different approach in Game 4
Doncic's oft contentious in-game relationship with referees has been a challenge for him since entering the league in 2018. Though he led the NBA in technical fouls during the regular season with 19, there was at least internal optimism Doncic had been making progress with his on-court demeanor as the playoffs approached.
That growth was nowhere to be found in Game 3. During a Thursday sit down with ESPN's Malika Andrews, Doncic revealed that he apologized to his teammates for fouling out when Dallas needed him most.
“It was tough. Probably wasn't the smartest thing. But it was a physical game and to get six fouls, I didn't expect it,” he said. “It's tough. I always say it's easier to be in the game than being on the bench. I was more nervous on the bench. It wasn't the smartest thing to do… this is the Finals. I told my teammates, ‘My bad, you can’t do that—especially in the NBA Finals.'”
Officiating has hardly been the only source of Doncic's palpable frustration in the NBA Finals. Boston has relentlessly attacked him defensively, routinely creasing the paint off the dribble after goading Doncic into a switch on the perimeter. The 25-year-old has been dealing with lingering lower-body injuries throughout the playoffs as well, and received a numbing injection ahead of Game 3 for a chest contusion he suffered in the series opener. He's listed as probable to play in Game 4.
“I just really want to win,” Doncic said after Thursday's shootaround, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “Sometimes I don't show it the right way, but at the end of the day, I really want to win. I've got to do a better job showing it a different way.”
No team in league history has ever climbed out of a three-game hole in the playoffs. Despite the odds being stacked against them and Boston's season-long dominance, though, Doncic and the Mavericks are stressing optimism heading into Friday's do-or-die matchup. Why? In part because Dallas has overcome major adversity before, finishing the regular season 16-2 after losing five of six games between late February and early March.
“I know that's the regular season, but it was the kind of point we all came together, and the chemistry from there went to the top,” Doncic said. “We've just got to believe. We talk about it in the locker room. I know we can do it, and we're going to believe until the end.”
Game 4 tips off at 5:30 p.m. (PT) from American Airlines Center.
Follow Us
Subscribe