Dallas Mavericks talisman Luka Doncic has vowed to fight back stronger in the next season of the NBA. The Mavericks had a great run in the 2023-24 season as they made it to the NBA finals but suffered a 4-1 loss against the Boston Celtics.
The Mavericks lost the first three matches however they were able to stay alive by dominating the fourth game. But they suffered a 106-88 loss in the fifth game of the series.
“We said, ‘We’ll fight together next season, and we just going to believe,’” Doncic said after the Mavericks’ 106-88 loss to the Celtics, who clinched their record-breaking 18th NBA championship.
Kyrie Irving said it was a positive season for the Mavericks as they were among the best two teams. However, Irving admitted it was a bitter loss but he is optimistic about building a strong team for the future.
“We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing and now it’s just about being consistent,” said Irving, who struggled again at TD Garden, finishing Game 5 with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting. “I think probably in the last week, I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era and our last few champions have been a new one each and every year.
“So, I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we’re competing for championships. You know, I think from a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season, just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself and my teammates and the organization and the people that I’m around.”
Doncic had 28 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 7 turnovers in the fifth game of the series but felt he didn’t do enough for the team.
“It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, how much was I hurt,” Doncic said. “I was out there. I tried to play but I didn’t do enough.”
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd showered praise on Luka Doncic for finding success at the top level.
“For him at the age of 25 to get to the Finals, to be playing his basketball at the level that he’s playing is, now it’s just being consistent,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “When you have one of the best players in the world, you should be always fighting for a championship.”
