Has Lukas Defense Cost the Mavs a Championship?

The Dallas Mavericks enter Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals tonight with a 3-0 deficit and the prospect of being swept at the hands of the Boston Celtics. After battling successes against the Clippers, Thunder and Timberwolves, this is certainly not how the Mavs wanted to see their season end.

Star player Luka Doncic has been getting the bulk of the criticism, largely for his poor play on the defensive end. But is Luka to blame for this Dallas slump or are there other people within the Mavericks organization who should have the finger pointed at them? Or is it all simply down to Boston’s brilliance? Let’s break down each of the factors that look to have cost the Mavs the NBA championship.

Doncic defense downing the Mavericks?

Heading into the NBA Finals, Doncic was getting praise from everyone. In fact, him and Kyrie Irving were being heralded as one of the greatest duos in NBA history. Well, heavy is the head that wears the crown, as the plaudits seem to have turned to criticism, because Doncic has been catching a lot of flak for his efforts on defense in the NBA Finals, highlighted by him being fouled out towards the end of Game 3.

On one side, it’s understandable. The likes of Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 and Game 2 were able to have their way with the Mavericks, getting a bunch of easy shots off and getting the ball in the basket without too much difficulty. In Game 3, when Porzingis was missing, there looked to be a big opportunity for the Mavs to bounce back. But Doncic struggled mightily in front of his home crowd, posting just six rebounds which is tied for his lowest number of boards in the entire playoffs.

The Mavericks faithful were looking to Doncic to be their savior, and as of right now, he hasn’t been able to live up to the billing. He’s been vocal against the officials and clearly agitated. Certainly his struggles on defense has been one of the reasons why the Mavs find themselves 3-0 down, but is it the main reason? Let’s explore some of the other factors, but in the meantime, make sure you check out the NBA betting odds for Game 4 and whether Dallas can keep this series alive.

Celtics look superb on both ends of the floor

To point the finger solely at Doncic is to downplay just how amazing the Celtics have been in the NBA Finals, and for that Boston and head coach Joe Mazzulla deserve a ton of praise. They entered this series facing a lot of criticism, with analysts claiming that they had had an easy run through the Eastern Conference against weak and injury-hit teams compared to what the Mavs had to face. But now the Celtics have proven they have every right to be in the NBA Finals and will be deserved champions if they do indeed get over the line against Dallas.

Mazzulla’s game plan for dealing with the Mavericks has been nothing short of spectacular. He has completely shut down all of Dallas’ role players, leaving it to Doncic and Irving to try to do it themselves, and ultimately they haven’t been able to get the job done. Speaking of Irving, he managed just 12 and 16 points in Game 1 and Game 2 of this series. Doncic has been explosive on offense, but even he hasn’t been able to carry Dallas’ scoring all on his own.

Speaking of lone scorers, the Celtics have really proven their strength in depth in this series, particularly in the first two games when Jayson Tatum just 16 and 18 points on 6-16 and 6-22 shooting. Those sorts of performances should have been what the Mavs were dreaming of, but it ultimately didn’t matter as each of Jaylen Brown, Porzingis, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday all picked up the slack.

Boston’s main man struggled at times but others were able to step up and get the win. Dallas’ main man struggled and no one was able to fill in and get the Mavs the win. There lies the difference between the two teams.

Doncic’s downfall or Boston’s brilliance?

Ultimately, Doncic’s problems on defense has caused Dallas problems, but the Celtics have played this series perfectly on both sides of the ball, and it can be argued that they would be leading 2-1 at the very least even if the Slovenian had been spectacular on defense.

Dallas’ overreliance on Doncic and the fact that Irving has struggled through this series are certainly factors that have contributed to the Mavs almost certainly missing out on the NBA championship. But the Celtics have been in a different league to everyone all season long, and will undoubtedly be deserved NBA champions whenever it is that they wrap up this series with the Mavericks.

If you think that the Celtics will win the NBA championship tonight, then make sure you check out the latest NBA betting odds for Game 4.