Doncic's claws to the NBA epic

Luka Doncic exhausts the praise. Her exploits follow one another and in the Disney World bubble she has accelerated if possible her almost daily overcoming of limits, her own and those of others. In four days he has broken his records in rebounds, with 20 against Sacramento on Tuesday, and in assists, with 19 on Saturday against Milwaukee. In both games there was overtime, and in both he drove the Dallas Mavericks to victory with two triple-doubles: 34 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists against the Kings (110-114) and 36 points, 14 rebounds and 19 assists against the Bucks ( 132-136).

Greek phenomenon Giannis Antetokounmpo, last season's MVP and the player with whom he shared the foreground of the pre-Mavs-Bucks lineup, surrendered to the evidence: “It's incredible. He's playing great basketball, he's a great player, he makes his teammates better. He is talented, really very talented. One of the most talented players I've ever played against ”.

Shortly before the game, the NBA had announced the three finalists for each of its annual awards. For the most important, the MVP, the finalists are Antetokounmpo, LeBron James and James Harden. Doncic is the finalist for the Most Improved Player of the Season award, alongside Bam Adebayo (Miami) and Brandon Ingram (New Orleans). The merits of the three finalists for the MVP of the season are unquestionable, but the comparison gives a dimension of the levels in which Doncic moves. The Mavs' 77 outnumber LeBron James in scoring average this season (29.1 points to 25.4); in rebounds (9.5), also Lebron (8) and Harden (6.4), and in assists (8.9), Anteto (5.7) and Harden (7.5).

THIS LUKA DIME 😱 pic.twitter.com/L94BcqX4zz

Rick Carlisle, the coach of the Mavs, played for five seasons in the 1980s. He evokes those times as a forward for the Celtics and Knicks to define his Slovenian pupil in Dallas: “Luka always knows where everyone is, not only in attack but also in defense. It is the sign of a certain type of player. I've played with Larry Bird, I could see everything that way. I have had the privilege of training Jason Kidd, he could see everything that way. Luka is at the same point. He has a different body, he has a different game, but when he attracts attention you know that someone is going to be liberated.

Doncic has 17 triple-doubles this season and leads that ranking in the NBA ahead of LeBron James and Nikola Jokic, Denver's center, both with 13. His final game against the Bucks was decisive because he scored the last seven points they allowed the Mavs force overtime in which they dominated 17-13. “It's better every hour, every day that passes. I am impressed by his leadership throughout the game. He is always calm, and makes his teammates maintain their level in the hardest moments, ”said Carlisle.

A team to defend you

The magnitude of triple doubles is difficult to accurately compare due to the diversity of statistics that are handled. In any case, the one that Doncic obtained against the Kings placed him, at 21 years and 158 days, as the youngest in the history of the competition to establish a triple-double with more than 30 points and 20 rebounds. And the one he got against the Bucks allows him to enter the small club of those who have obtained triple doubles with more than 35 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists. A list that includes only stars, all of them MVPs: Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and Harden.

"It takes a whole team to defend him," concluded Clippers coach Doc Rivers after the game that faced them in the bubble and that the Californian team won 126-111. "Doncic has a great ability to lead his team and to pass the ball, he can score from the outside, he can go to the basket, he goes to the free throw line often, he has it all," said Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers star. .

The Mavericks have managed with their two wins in overtime against the Kings and the Bucks to reverse their disastrous performances in games with even finishes. Kristaps Porzingis has improved his numbers and against the Bucks he had 26 points and 11 rebounds. The Texan team is seventh in the Western Conference and can aspire to fifth place, although it has no margin for error since its next rivals are the two teams that precede it, Utah and Oklahoma City.

Carlisle has conceived a set that is based above all on its offensive effectiveness. With Doncic leading (29.1 average points), Porzingis (20.1), Tim Hardaway (15.6) Trey Burke (12.6) and Seth Curry (12.3), the Mavs are averaging 117 points, Only beaten by one point by Milwaukee (118.9) and Houston (118.4). Instead, his defense must improve because he receives an average of 111.5 points. Half of the teams in the League are more efficient at protecting their rim. “In recent years we have not done a good job defending on the perimeter. But right now the hoop has to be our priority. We are a good defensive team. I don't think we're bad, but we have to improve to the top 10 if we want to be one of the teams that may have options in the playoffs, "Carlisle warns.

Those options seem to increase with each passing day and Doncic exhibits such remarkable flagging ability for his team that he is able to give Kleber a brilliant assist below the legs with a minute remaining in overtime. Never better chosen his nickname, Wonder Boy.