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Old 04-25-2022, 12:39 PM   #1398
dirt_dobber
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story by:*Callie Caplan Dallas Morning News*
‘He’s an animal’: What Luka Doncic learned in year full of elimination experience
From last year’s NBA playoffs to Lithuania to the Tokyo Olympics,
disappointments have fueled Doncic’s otherworldly competitive spirit.

Luka Doncic might be human, after all.

He gets nervous before big games, he admitted recently in an interview with The Dallas Morning News, and the “butterflies in your stomach” idiom translates in Slovenian.

“Until you get on the court,” Doncic said, “and then all the energy that’s out there, it’s great to play.”

The Mavericks’ superstar would know.

With his 30-point, 10-rebound return from a left calf strain Saturday, Doncic started his fourth elimination tournament in the last 11 months, the most of any NBA star.

He dominated in the 2021 NBA playoffs last May into June, a FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament a few weeks later, the Tokyo Olympics a month after that and now the 2022 playoffs, entering the Mavericks’ first-round Game 5 Monday night against the Utah Jazz.

Stories about Doncic’s win-or-go-home experience from the perspective of his coaches and teammates in Dallas and Slovenia illustrate a year of growth for Doncic in intensity, focus, patience and sheer determination to triumph.

As the Mavericks return to American Airlines Center for what’s now a best-of-3 series this week, those who’ve worked closest to Doncic have a common conclusion:

Watch out, Utah Jazz.

“I’ve never met anybody as competitive as he is,” Mavericks shooting coach Peter Patton said. “Playing in these tournaments, playing these elimination-type games, he likes it when the stakes are higher. It makes it more fun for him. A lot of guys are out here playing for their livelihood. He’s playing for love because he’s just so much better than everybody else.”

Doncic’s statistics alone offer proof that “he’s an animal,” as Tim Hardaway Jr. said, when pressure mounts.

In last year’s NBA playoffs, he averaged a league-leading 35.7 points per game, added 10.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds. He shot 49% from the floor on 28 attempts per game and 40.8% from three — almost six percentage points higher than his season average — in 40.1 minutes per game.

If not for one of two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard’s best-ever playoff games, Doncic single-handedly positioned the Mavericks to upset the title-contending Los Angeles Clippers and advance to the second round.

Less than a month later, Doncic sealed Slovenia’s first Olympic men’s basketball berth by tallying a combined 54 points, 26 assists and 20 rebounds in the qualifier’s two knockout games.

Then in Tokyo, he debuted with the second-highest point total in Olympic history (48), followed with the second-highest assists total (18) and in another outing logged the third ever Olympic triple-double.

Already this postseason, Doncic returned from 13 days out with a left calf strain to drain what appeared to be the dagger 3-pointer with 39.1 seconds remaining in the Mavericks’ Game 4 against the Jazz.

Anecdotes and behind-the-scenes insights offer an even deeper look into what drives Doncic to perform at his best when scrutiny and expectations are highest.

In Lithuania, basketball is more religion than sport, Slovenia national team coach Aleksander Sekulic said, and he noticed the country eased COVID-19 restrictions ahead of hosting the Olympic qualifier — perhaps to ensure a full, raucous home crowd to cheer for a Lithuanian national team that had never missed an Olympics.

Doncic isn’t sorry for snapping the streak.

At halftime of the winner-goes-to-the-Games tournament final, Doncic looked around at teammates and delivered a simple message.

“All right, guys,” he said. “Let’s go to the Olympics.”

“And the rest is history,” Slovenia center Mike Tobey said.

After that triple-double qualifier upset, Doncic’s flair didn’t ease in Tokyo — even in a quiet, cavernous Saitama Super Arena with just arena workers, volunteers and media members in attendance. Spectators were barred from attending Olympic events.

He jawed in Spanish with two Argentine officials in the stands during his first Olympic game and drew five technical fouls in six games. He led all players in points (143) and assists (57) and grabbed the second-most rebounds (58).

Slovenia’s coaching staff spent hours strategizing how to make their practices tougher to keep challenging Doncic — at one point with Sekulic betting Doncic cups of coffee for makes and misses.

During the Olympic semifinal against France — featuring Utah center Rudy Gobert — Doncic repeated the same thing to Sekulic during every break, huddle and conversation:

“I want to win. I want to win. I want to win.”

But Doncic ended that winner-goes-for-gold semifinal hunched over on the bench after France blocked Slovenia’s game-winning layup attempt. Two days later: another towel over his head as Australia prevailed to win bronze.

No medal.

Elimination, again.

“I’ve learned that you’ve got to give everything to try to win, and that’s it,” Doncic said. “If you’re going to give everything, not every time you’re going to win, but if you give your everything and you lose, you should be proud of yourself.”

That’s served as fuel for Doncic’s focus since.

After a preseason practice in October, Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall and dozens of team employees surprised second-year guard Josh Green with a ceremony to celebrate his contributions to Australia’s first-ever Olympic medal performance.

When Doncic found out, he turned to Hardaway and reminded him: “I’m in the Olympics, too.”

“I’m like, ‘Luka, you don’t have a medal, my guy,’” Hardaway said with a laugh. “Josh won.”

No consolation. Doncic was still miffed.

“I’m like, ‘Luka, you’re going to have multiple MVPs, have a whole All-Star collection, hopefully Finals, Finals MVP,’” Hardaway said. “That just shows his competitive fire.”

Last edited by dirt_dobber; 04-25-2022 at 12:41 PM.
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