Celtics exposing Luka Doncic led to stunning Mavericks-Lakers trade – MassLive.com
If, somewhere down the line, Luka Doncic helps lead the Lakers to their 18th banner, the Celtics might wish they hadn’t trounced the Mavericks quite so badly last spring.Thursday’s 127-120 win over Boston marked Dallas’ first trip back to TD Garden since the NBA Finals. But the reverberations of those finals are not only still happening in Dallas, but they’re shaking the entire NBA.The stunning trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis early on Sunday morning is a direct result of how thoroughly Boston thumped Dallas in the finals.For starters, there is no way the Mavericks trade their uber-popular superstar if the finals had been close. But they weren’t. They were simply just the last pin to fall as the Celtics bowled their way over their overmatched playoff foes. If the series had been close or even competitive, the Mavericks could have convinced themselves a little roster improvement combined with the acquired experience for their mostly young team would have been enough to try to make another run.But it was not close. Other than the Celtics no-show in Game 4, the Mavericks were outclassed. But more than the fact that Boston bludgeoned Dallas, Doncic got exposed.Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic waits for play to resume during the first half in Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals against the Boston Celtics, Friday, June 14, 2024, in Dallas. AP Photo/Julio CortezMedia from all over the world witnessed Boston hunt for him on defense and exploit his lack of athleticism and interest. It wasn’t different than what Doncic’s flaws had always been but the Celtics’ talent made them more noticeable in the unrelenting glow of the international spotlight.Doncic, who had dragged an otherwise unremarkable Mavericks team through the Western Conference, became the face of their failure. Dallas coach Jason Kidd was forced to come out and defend his maligned star, even though without Doncic, the Mavericks were a faded Kyrie Irving and a bunch of role players.“For whatever reason, there has been some personal attacks on him, but he will learn from them and he will be better when he comes back from it,” Kidd said between Games 3 and Game 4.But while the rest of the league reset and moved on when the 2024-25 season started in the fall, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison never did. Harrison, who might occupy a similar place in Dallas history that Harry Frazee does in Boston, couldn’t shake it. Yes, Doncic’s disinterest in conditioning was a concern, but not enough to pull the ripcord this fast.He panicked. If Harrison wanted to trade Doncic, he certainly could have gotten more and probably much more from another team. Even if he was set on getting Anthony Davis, he should have gotten more draft picks from the Lakers too. And if pairing Anthony Davis’ unreliable health with Irving’s general unreliability and off-court shenanigans works, they’re both basketball-old. In five years, ESPN will be asking Dirk Nowitzki if he brought any good luck charms when he’s representing the Mavericks at the draft lottery, while Doncic is still making All-Star teams.None of that is the Celtics’ problem. After Thursday, Boston is unlikely to pay the Mavs much thought. Doncic is another story.He will visit Boston with his new Laker pals in just over a month. By beating the Mavericks, the Celtics passed the Lakers to regain their status as the most successful franchise of all time in terms of championships. But by destroying the Mavericks to do so, Boston gave the Lakers the cornerstone that they’ll try to build their next championship contender around.If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.Ad Choices
