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Ever since the start of his NBA career, Luka Doncic has been sensational in the NBA Playoffs. Many budding stars tend to crumble initially before they begin to find their rhythm on the biggest stage. For Doncic, that was not the case as winning has been the ultimate priority for him. The 2024 postseason has been the epitome of that as Doncic has been the catalyst in toppling three of the top four seeds in the Western Conference.
After years of searching for his dynamic duo partner, Kyrie Irving has been the perfect complementary piece to the style of Doncic. Even if they are both ball-dominant players, the willingness to share the sugar has been evident, especially in their postseason run. The Boston Celtics will have their work cut out for them as Doncic thrives through a trash talking fan base, and there is no other crowd that is more annoying than the Celtics diehards.
There will be a maximum of four games at TD Garden, and these are some intriguing predictions on Doncic's first finals appearance.
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Luka Doncic scores 35+ points at least four times
Even if Doncic will be the focal point of the Celtics defense, he still has the track record of getting his numbers regardless of the opponent. Boston will throw several guys on him like Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and maybe even Jayson Tatum. Joe Mazzulla will experiment with a slew of pick-and-roll coverages to mitigate his scoring surges, but Doncic will still have a clear path of notching at least 35 points in four outings.
It will be insurmountable for the Celtics to contain the scoring prowess of Doncic, so the problem that the Mavericks may have is Doncic recording a ton of numbers across the board, but their team is still losing. Over the course of the regular season, the Celtics have the tendency of giving the star player a ton of attempts but limiting everyone else's production, so Doncic must make it a priority to have more efficient shooting nights.
Doncic will nail at least one go-ahead or buzzer-beating shots in the clutch
This specific prediction is very tough especially because Luka Doncic has only converted one last-second shot in the playoffs so far. The Game 2 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves was highlighted by the stellar step-back game-winner by Doncic at the top of the key over Rudy Gobert. He also had a fair share of clutch makes in the other contests of the Timberwolves series, along with the battle against the Los Angeles Clippers as well.
Doncic is not afraid of any situation, so he will be more than willing to attempt these high stake shots at the endgame. Three of the four Celtics' wins in the Eastern Conference Finals were decided in the final minutes, so the likelihood of that occurring in the NBA Finals is very high.
Luka Doncic will have at least two triple-doubles
It is not just the scoring and game-winners that are significant in the repertoire of Doncic, but it is also his ability to contribute in multiple facets. His assist total will be crucial because several of their ancillary pieces flourish when Doncic puts them in the best position to succeed.
The assists will be around 8-10 almost every night, so the rebounding must also be at the same level because the Celtics are known as a fantastic defensive rebounding unit. Doncic must help in that category as well if the Mavericks are in serious pursuit of lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
