Luka Doncic and his team, the Dallas Mavericks have routed out the Phoenix Suns in the 7th and final game of their playoffs series. This emphatic win means that the Mavericks will be playing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA western conference playoffs finals. The Phoenix Suns suffered a very heavy defeat at home turf against the Mavericks. Early on in the series, the Suns looked very dominant and racked up back-to-back wins in the first two games. Then Dallas managed to win the 3rd and 4th games consecutively to tie the series 2-2.
But all was not lost for the Suns as they managed to find form in the 5th game. But the hopeful Suns bottled the next two games. But in the 7th and final game, the Suns lost their way and got absolutely decimated. The Maverick’s phenomenal point guard Luka Doncic racked up 35 points while his teammate Spencer Dinwiddie scored 30. These two-star players were enough to absolutely destroy the Suns.
With the western conference playoffs finals just around the corner, here are five takeaways from Luka Doncic’s Dominant Double-Double 35 Points in the 7th game of the Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix Suns series.
1) Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic, Match made in basketball heaven!
Because they want everyone to be as amazing as they were, the star athletes in any field often have a difficult time moving into a more coaching-oriented role. Jason Kidd was brilliant and tactical while he was in his playing days.
Luka Doncic may be the closest player that Jason Kidd will ever coach, who is as good or even better than he ever was!
Doncic and Kidd are set up to be one of those star player-coach duos. If everything goes right, they could even one day gain legendary status along with the likes of Gregg Popovich/Tim Duncan and Phil Jackson/Michael Jordan duos.
Kidd has a stellar record as a basketball coach in his short career which has not even reached its first decade. His record:
| Career Record | |||||||
| YEAR | TEAM | G | W | L | PCT | Playoff Win | Playoff Losses |
| 2022 | Dallas Mavericks | 82 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 8 | 5 |
| 2021 | Los Angeles Lakers | 9 | 7 | 2 | .778 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers | 6 | 5 | 1 | .833 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | Milwaukee Bucks | 45 | 23 | 22 | .511 | — | — |
| 2017 | Milwaukee Bucks | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 2 | 4 |
| 2016 | Milwaukee Bucks | 81 | 33 | 48 | .407 | — | — |
| 2015 | Milwaukee Bucks | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 2 | 4 |
| 2014 | Brooklyn Nets | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 5 | 7 |
| Totals | |||||||
| CAREER | 6 years | 469 | 247 | 222 | .527 | 21 | 20 |
Similarly, Luka Doncic’s career is still in its infancy. Luka Doncic has only been with the Mavericks for four seasons. In 264 regular-season games, he averaged 26.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. He has been selected for two All-Star games and has been named Rookie of the Year. Luka Doncic was the first player in the storied history of the NBA to average 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists a game in a calendar month while shooting at least 40% from three-point range.
If the performance by Luka and the Mavericks under Kidd in the 7th game against the suns is to go by, Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic were indeed a match made by the basketball gods themselves!
2) The Suns lack mentality, Bottles playoffs finals twice in a row!
The same Phoenix Suns team that lost to the Bucks in the 2021 playoffs finals has squandered their chances again this year when it mattered the most. The Suns who took the first two games of the 2022 semi-finals lost their lead and eventually lost the series to the Mavericks.
This is a repeat from last year’s finals, where the Suns took the first two games against the Bucks. But they lost their mettle and ended up losing the finals series all the same.
It seems to have become a recurring pattern for the Phoenix Suns to lose important games and lose leads in NBA playoff finals. Is it a lack of quality or skill from the team? Not likely as the team has a lot of gifted young players who did fine in the regular season and the first rounds of the playoffs. What they lack is the mental fortitude to give it 100% when it matters the most. The Suns team lacks conviction in clutch games and that is what has hurt them the most in consecutive seasons.
3) The most dominant 1st half in NBA history
The Phoenix Suns were routed out so badly in the first half, that it is officially in the record books. The Dallas Mavericks had a lead of a whopping 30 points just as the first half ended. This is the biggest halftime lead in the history of Basketball!
This massive blowout lead came at the courtesy of Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie, who came off the bench and combined for 48 of the Mavericks’ 57 points, setting a new franchise record.
To put things into perspective, Doncic’s 27 points in the first half was exactly the same as the Suns’ total. This shows the level of sheer domination the Mavericks had all over the game.
The half-time lead could not be recovered by the Suns who were also dominated in the second half of the game.
4) Doncic, A future hall of famer?
Luka’s limits are difficult to predict because he accomplished so much so rapidly. If he continues to put up these stats, he will eclipse legends such as Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, James Harden, and others. The only actual danger is a possible injury, which we pray does not occur.
In a few years, Luka will undoubtedly be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. By the end of the 2019-2020 season, he’ll have broken a few records, and he’s still a long way from retirement. For decades, the entire world will be watching him play.
Luka Doncic is the next great thing in the NBA. All basketball enthusiasts immediately recognized his magnificent game, and the young athlete soon rose to prominence. He has the talent to play alongside Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant, and become a hall of famer in the NBA.
5)The Dallas Mavericks have a legitimate chance of winning the playoff Finals.
The Mavericks will come into the final matchup with the warriors as the underdog team. The Warriors are the number 3 seeded while the Mavericks are the number 4 seeded teams in the playoffs.
The Warriors did not have to face much opposition in their prior two rounds of the playoffs. They played the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies without their full squads. The Mavericks are a team on a mission! They are hungry and they have the excellent, Luka Doncic on their side. Doncic almost single-handedly destroyed the Phoenix Suns in the Playoffs semi-finals, He could carry his momentum to the finals as well.
The Golden State Warriors have been inconsistent throughout the season, but their ace point guard Steph Curry is still firing on all cylinders and could pull them over the line against the Mavericks. Now the Warriors must prove their worth and win against the surging Dallas Mavericks
After all is said and done, Luka Doncic could really win the playoffs for the Dallas Mavericks and cement his legacy. It remains to be seen whether the Mavericks can pull off another upset in the conference championship game.
