Dallas Mavericks have their backs against the wall in the NBA finals, as they are down 0-3 against the Boston Celtics. The Mavericks star Luka Doncic wants to go back to playing fun in order to get the desired result.
Mavericks suffered a 106-99 loss to the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Center to go down by 3-0 in the NBA Finals. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit in the NBA playoffs. Teams are 0-156 in playoff series in NBA history after falling behind 3-0.
It is a do-or-die situation for the Mavericks and Doncic and Co. will look to come up with a collective show.
“Go back to playing fun,” Doncic said after the Mavericks’ film session at the American Airlines Center on Thursday. “We talk about how we come back from [21] points in the fourth quarter in the Finals. We were having fun. We were defending. We were running. Our pace was great. Just taking good shots.”
Doncic has had a history of arguing with the officials and Game 3 was no different. The Slovenian said he always wants to win but admitted he has to keep a tap on his emotions.
“I just really want to win,” Doncic said. “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.”
Doncic has averaged 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists during the Finals despite a problem in his right knee.
Kyrie Irving lauded Doncic for giving his 120% on the court despite the injury woes.
“My message to him is he’s not alone in this,” said Mavs guard Kyrie Irving, who struggled during the two losses in Boston before scoring 35 points in Game 3. “He’s played as best as he can despite the circumstances, just injuries and stuff. He’s been giving it his all. It’s not all on him.”
The fourth game of the NBA finals will be played on Friday night.
