Luka Doncic, if you continue to play like this, the coach will soon have to find words to describe your performance on the field.
On Feb. 18, the Dallas Mavericks played their final game before All-Star Weekend: the away game against the New Orleans Pelicans. In this campaign, Doncic slashed 49 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists, leading the team to establish an advantage in the first three quarters and then withstanding the opponent's final counterattack, and finally the Lone Ranger narrowly defeated the Pelicans 125-118 on the road.
In the last four games, Doncic has averaged 41.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7 assists per game. Doncic scored 199 points in the last five games, breaking his team record of 186 points a year ago. This season, only Joel Embiid has scored more than Doncic in five consecutive games.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said: "I think I've used all the nouns, adjectives to describe Doncic's game, and the bigger the stage, the better he will perform. ”
Kidd also said that "Luca often sets the tone for the game very early", and this game Middle East Cic did the same as the previous two games against the Clippers. He came up and attacked, using cover to fire at the outside, hitting four of his first five three-point shots and scoring 19 points, five rebounds and four assists in a single quarter. After the game, Doncic's firepower still did not decrease, he only played 5 minutes in the second quarter to get 6 points, in the third quarter he played the whole quarter again, and shot 20 points in a single quarter, after three quarters, Doncic has already scored 44 points.
"His performances are unbelievable now." Lone Ranger center Maxie Kleber said Doncic made him feel easy to cut 40 points, "I didn't even realize he had 40 points by the third quarter and it felt so quiet and relaxed, and that's what happened." ”
The Lone Rangers led by as many as 24 points at the end of the third quarter, however, C.J. McCollum did not agree to concede. At the beginning of the final quarter, C.J. McCollum frequently scored to lead the Pelicans to a 22-6 offensive climax, re-giving the game suspense.
McCollum scored 38 points and scored more than 20 points in four consecutive games, three of which were more than 30 points. Counting this game, in the five games since joining the Pelicans, McCollum averaged 28.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 turnovers, 42.5% from three-point range, 76.5% from the free throw line and 61% from the field. But the Pelicans' record hasn't improved by leaps and bounds because they got the star guard from the Portland Trail Blazers, on the contrary, they have only achieved a 1-4 record in the last 5 games.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green admitted: "We have to have more urgency on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends. We are still trying to solve the problem, but the defeat is unacceptable. The loss of this game is unacceptable to me, first, we started the game badly, and second, the players need to play harder. ”
With 3:36 left in the game, he hit a 5-point streak to help the Pelicans narrow the score to 113-118. The Lone Ranger then counter-attacked, Doncic broke through, and Smith hit a run to briefly stop the wave.
When McCollum snatched a steal from Doncic and completed an undisputed layup, the Pelicans trailed the deficit to just four points. Jaylen Brunson hit two free throws, Brandon Ingram missed three points and the Lone Ranger won the game without any chance.
At the start of the 2021-22 season, Doncic's figure was worrying. As the tournament progressed, Doncic's physical condition and athletic level returned to MVP level since mid-January. Since entering February, Doncic has averaged 36.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, and also scored a career-high 51 points.
Doncic's explosiveness has also improved. In the Feb. 5 game against the 76ers, Doncic contributed two dunks. Kidd joked: "When he bursts in, he might tell you he's flying. In the Feb. 9 game against the Pistons, Doncic kept asking the coaching staff to let him play until the fourth quarter, "he was in control. ”
Lone Ranger assistant coach Igor Kokoshkov, although he had only been coaching Doncic for 5 months at the Time of The Lone Ranger, he developed a close relationship with Doncic as early as the age of 18. Slovenia won the European Championship in historic 2017 and Kokoshkov is the head coach of the Slovenian national team. In his eyes, doncic's way of managing the game is the most impressive. The data is obvious, but there's still a lot that can't be reflected in the data. It's about timing, scoring, whose hand is the hottest, who plays best, when the team needs him to score, when it needs him to score.
Doncic understands the game more deeply than when he first coached, and he even feels that Doncic is improving every game.
"Understanding the game, these things require time and experience, not just basketball IQ. It's really impressive to see a player of this age who knows how to lead the team to victory and knows what the team needs. Whatever the team needs, he can deliver, and that's leadership. Kokoshkov said.
After the Lone Ranger traded Porzingis, Doncic became the sole offensive center of gravity. He can play more in the box and attack from the basket. He's so used and often shoots tough shots, but he always has a way to overcome them.
After Doncic answered questions about his recent high scores in a post-game news conference, a staff member of the Dallas Mavericks told him to enjoy his All-Star vacation.
"There's no way to rest." Doncic replied.
It's true that he won't have an easy time at NBA All-Star Weekend, he's already an absolute star. After the game, Doncic will fly to Cleveland. Although Mark Cuban has prepared a private jet for Doncic, booked a hotel suite, and Doncic is ready for his third all-star trip, but continuous away combat is bound to bring fatigue to Doncic.
Doncic didn't take the All-Star Game as a burden, saying, "It's a great honor to play in the All-Star Game, this is my third All-Star, and I won't take that for granted." ”
After the All-Star Game, the NBA regular season will enter the final sprint phase. A Doncic who was "full of energy" before the All-Star Game must have made the Lone Ranger more dangerous.