As the regular season comes to an end, the first round of the playoffs is already on the horizon. Luka Doncic has played three playoff games since he landed in the league. But coincidentally, he was defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round twice, and lost to the Warriors in the Western Conference finals once. In the regular season, whether it is the All-Star team or an All-Star, it is just one regular season MVP, and Doncic gets all the honors that superstars deserve.
It's just that in the playoffs, he has never been able to lead the Mavericks to the next level. This year's playoffs are the fourth time in Doncic's career, and he's happy that this time he's no longer alone. Irving's arrival made Doncic more confident, at least when he couldn't carry it, Irving's singles were hard to solve. Their first-round opponents have also been released, and they all say that if they don't meet each other, will they repeat the mistakes of the Clippers?
The first two encounters
Doncic's first playoff game in his career was in the summer of 2020, when Doncic was only 21 years old and led the young Mavericks and Clippers to defeat in six rounds. In the first four games, the two sides went back and forth, and they did not give in to each other until a 2-2 draw. But after that, Tyronn Lue was significantly more spicy, and the Clippers were better overall than the Mavericks, so they were sent home fishing.
However, in this series, Doncic did not lose at all. He averaged 31.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game, including 50% shooting from the field and 36.4% from three-point range. At that time, the second leader of the Mavericks was Porzingis, but unfortunately Boshen retired injured in the third game, leaving Doncic to fight alone. still remembers the G4 game, Doncic went down to earth and slashed 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists to help the team get through the danger. But Capepper didn't give him a chance after that, and Doncic's first trip to the playoffs ended in a sloppy end.
In the '21 playoffs, the Mavericks met the Clippers in the first round. Compared with his original youth, Doncic seems more sophisticated. once led the team, got the match point first, and led 3-2. In G6 and G7, they didn't take advantage of their chances and were overturned by the Clippers 4-3. Doncic was in G7, with 46 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, and 5 three-pointers. It's a pity that his teammates at the time performed mediocre, with a total of 5-of-25 three-pointers, and the Mavericks fell short.
In this series, Doncic averaged 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game, including 49% shooting from the field and 40.8% from three-point range.
Predictions for this round
After Irving's arrival, Doncic has his most powerful right-hand man. Coupled with the mid-term trades and the addition of Gafford and PJ Washington, the team has a reliable pillar on both the wing and the interior. Doncic can just focus on offense and stringing up the team, and someone will do the dirty work for him.
In the last 18 games, the Mavericks have a 16-2 record, ranking first in the league during the same period. In 18 games, he ranked fourth in the league in offensive efficiency of 118.2 and first in the league in defensive efficiency of 106. The net efficiency is 12.1, the first in the league, and compared with the previous Mavericks, the arrival of two new signings has raised the Mavericks' defense by several notches.
But the Clippers and Mavericks played each other, and the regular season was 2-1. However, it's all in 2023, and I haven't played since the New Year, as the saying goes, don't be impressed for three days, and the Mavericks are not the team they were a year ago. If the Clippers want to win, the key depends on whether Harden's offense can be opened.