The Mavericks and Clippers are gearing up for a playoff matchup, and Luka Doncic knows Los Angeles will be up for a challenge.
DALLAS — Speaking to the media after Tuesday's Dallas Mavericks practice, Doncic touched on a number of topics, including the inclusion of Kyrie Irving as a teammate and the impact Mavericks fans have on the team.
As Dallas prepares to face the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs, Doncic was also asked about Kawaii Leonard and Paul George.
Doncic said: "These are two fantastic players, man. Both of them played well. Everyone knows what they can do on the offensive and defensive ends. I said every game is going to be tough. These two guys are fantastic players and it will be difficult to stop them. ”
These two stars of the Clippers will lead the team forward, after all, the offense and defense are obvious to all. The Los Angeles team has a fairly balanced roster with depth, so the Clippers will give the Mavericks a challenge.
There is no doubt that Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and Kawaii Leonard are the four best players in the NBA right now.
Both teams will be hoping to have a healthy roster heading into the series, however, Leonard has struggled with injury issues. His physical condition will be worth keeping an eye on ahead of the series' opening bout.
However, the star players will lead both sides forward. Both Dallas and Los Angeles need their depth players to step up, but we should expect a strong performance from the best players on the field.
For the Mavericks, Doncic has already shown composure in the playoffs at a young age. He led the Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals at the age of 23, so he'll undoubtedly be ready for this series.
Irving, who also played a key role in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2016 championship, also has a wealth of playoff experience.
Dallas is ready for the series, and on Tuesday, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd mentioned the Clippers' star, but also acknowledged that Los Angeles' defense is one of their strengths.
"When you talk about the playoffs, games tend to slow down, and for us, we don't want games to slow down," Kidd said. We have to keep that pace.
We have to continue that pace, use our depth, turn it to our advantage. That's one of the things that has helped us this season and we have to rely on it in this series. Keep the rhythm and don't let their defense form a setup. ”
'They're very good on the defensive end, they're very good and they're going to make tackles. They'll steal a lot...... We're going to face this team, the Clippers, and they have a very high basketball IQ...... So we have to protect the ball. But we also have to be fast-breaking. ”
Yes, defense will be a key factor in this series, and the Mavericks have one of the best defenses in the NBA in the second half of the regular season. As Kidd points out, the Clippers are also more than capable of creating chaos on the defensive end.
All eyes will be on the star players, but whichever team does a good job on the defensive end could end up winning the series.
However, James Harden and Russell Westbrook are also superstars, so why aren't they worth mentioning?
Luka Doncic only said that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are very good on offense and defense, but they don't mention James Harden and Russell Westbrook, which is not only a contempt for Harden and Westbrook, but also a contempt for the Los Angeles Clippers.
As the saying goes, arrogant soldiers will be defeated, and it is absolutely unacceptable to underestimate the opponent.
Therefore, I can say that the Clippers will definitely take the Mavericks by surprise and eventually eliminate the Mavericks, and it is Harden and Willis who contribute the most damage and send Doncic to fish.