ESPN news: Luka Doncic made a shocking speech after the Oklahoma City games
Following their 2-1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday in their Western Conference semifinal series, the Dallas Mavericks ought to be in high spirits.
Dallas lost the first game in Oklahoma City, but they recovered to win the second, and on Saturday they pulled off a stunning comeback to win the third game.
After the Mavs won Game 3, Luka Doncic, one of the team’s stars, expressed his belief in the team’s potential.
Dallas, which is only two victories away from making their second appearance in the Western Conference Finals in three years, is undoubtedly believing now. The Thunder would be crushed if they won at Dallas on Monday for the third time in a row. Although teams have recovered from a 3-1 disadvantage on occasion, it is not a common occurrence.
The Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic, were the last club to win a back-to-back series in the 2020 bubble playoffs in Orlando to overcome a 3-1 deficit. The Nuggets defeated the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers despite all the odds.
However, a young club like Oklahoma City doesn’t want to be in that situation, thus Monday’s Game 4 will be viewed as a must-win. Even though Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavs appear confident, they will undoubtedly want to defeat the Thunder as quickly as possible.
RAD MORE:
Three stars from the NBA playoffs on Saturday
Saturday was a day of divergent fortunes for the NBA playoffs’ top two seeds. The Boston Celtics took back control of their semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Oklahoma City Thunder trailed the Dallas Mavericks.
These three players stood out throughout Saturday’s playoff action.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Tatum’s shooting night wasn’t the finest. Still, he fell just four assists short of a triple-double and led the Celtics with 33 points (11-of-25) out of sheer willpower.
Tatum was obviously a man on a mission based on the hint he gave in the third game. Despite his numerous misses, he continued to shoot, attacked the hoop with enthusiasm, and controlled the defensive glass (12 defensive rebounds).
Tatum tied Hall of Famers Bill Russell, Charles Barkley, and Hakeem Olajuwon for the tenth most playoff games in NBA history with his 24th career postseason game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, according to Stathead.
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics guard | 28 points, nine rebounds
In Game 3 against the Cavaliers, Tatum was the more aggressive player, while Brown adopted a more serious demeanor. He gave the Celtics a boost offensively and helped them recover from a dismal defensive performance in Game 2.
Brown outperformed the Cavaliers in terms of efficiency. Boston looked to its starting shooting guard when it needed a big shot. He finished with 28 points, missing only 4 out of 17 shots and hitting 2 of his 3 efforts from beyond the arc.
Brown appeared unconcerned following the Celtics’ crushing defeat in Game 2, even though he had only managed to score 19 points on 41.2 percent shooting that evening. He overcame the subpar performance, though, and played a significant role in Boston’s easy victory in Game 3 at Cleveland.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has 22 points and seven assists.
Despite just scoring eight points in the first half, the eight-time All-Star played facilitator. However, he adopted a more aggressive stance when Dallas trailed by one at the half, scoring 14 of his 22 points in the second half.
Irving took charge in the closing moments. He was a perfect 4-of-4 for eight points in the fourth quarter, capping the Game 3 triumph on Saturday with his trademark floater after a forceful drive to the basket.
Although Irving wasn’t the best player on the court on Saturday, the Mavericks might have fallen behind the Thunder, who are ranked #1, 2-1, instead of leading. Luka Doncic commended Irving after the team’s victory on Saturday, telling reporters that “he’s doing it all on both ends of the floor.”
