Luka Doncic Can’t Be The Toughest Player On Mavs, Says NBA Champion
Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are the future not only of the Dallas Mavericks, but the entire NBA. During their time in the NBA bubble, they were amongst the best duos, and if you ask Kendrick Perkins they were the best.
“What’s up ya’ll? Y’all know I was going to say something about that Clippers and Mavs game from last night. I told y’all Monday, Luka [Doncic] and KP have been the best duo in the bubble. They not playing no games at all I get it,” said Perkins. “the Dallas Mavericks don’t have household names I get it, but Tim Hardaway Jr, and Trey Burke them boys can hoop. Big Boba down there doing the dream shake, man them boys can play. They can play, they are going to compete, they don’t fear.”
However, they are only missing one element to their team and that was toughest, according to former Dallas Maverick and NBA Champion, Antoine Walker.
Walker was recently on Heavy with Scoop B and discussed what the Mavericks were missing.
“I like them, but I am going, to be honest with you, I’m not sold on European players unless you are going to do what Dallas did for Dirk [Nowitzki]. Dallas put real tough-minded guys that wanted to win a championship around him,” said Walker. “Guys like Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, and four or five veterans around him to be the best player.”
Walker would continue:
“I think what Dallas has to do is get a guy with some toughness because Luka [Doncic] is very chippy [towards] refs and players, which I like. I like the swag, I like the confidence, but your best player can’t do the fighting, Walker.” “So, you have to have someone to do the basketball fighting, but you gotta have some tough guys. You gotta look for a Charles Oakley or Dennis Rodman, you gotta look for those types of guys. To play alongside them.”
During the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks, the series got very chippy between Marcus Morris Sr and Luka Doncic. In-game one of the series, at the 9:10 mark of the third quarter, Doncic and Morris were jawing at one another. When Krista ps Porzingis came over to Doncic defense and Morris pushes Porzingis.
It would later lead to a double technical foul on both players, and Porzingis was ejected from the game after receiving his second tech. In-game five, Morris could be seen stepping on Doncic’s injured leg.
After the game, Doncic shared that he didn’t want to talk to Morris because of what, he was saying in his direction.
“I don’t want to talk to him,” Doncic said after the game. “He’s just saying a lot of bad stuff to me all the game. I don’t want to talk to him. I’ve just got to move on. Like I said, everybody’s going to have their own opinion. I just hope it wasn’t intentional. If that was intentional, that’s very bad.”
“I play this game with a level of respect for myself and other players,”Morris wrote.”To think I would try to injure somebody is crazy to me. 10 years going against the best. I stand on morals and hard work. I compete and leave it out there every game.
“Basketball has never been that serious to try to hurt somebody. I’m (sic) not apologizing for (expletive) because I know what I put into this game day in and day out. It was a mistake deal wit (sic) it. Competing is why I play.”
In-game six, Morris would be ejected for hitting Doncic in the head and pushing him back.
After game three, I asked Tim Hardaway how guys like him and Dorian Finney-Smith step in to protect Porzingis and Doncic.
“I mean, I am pretty sure we have done a good job trying to protect the guys and stop any altercations. That goes their way, but we have to also be smart about it and pick and choose our spots,” said Hardaway. “But, we are going to have our guys backs any chance we get. Like I said, we will watch the film tomorrow and look at what we can do to get better and move on from there.”
The Los Angeles Clippers would go on to take the series 4-2 and moved on to play the Denver Nuggets.
Landon Buford is an accomplished sports and entertainment journalist based in Richardson, Texas, with over a decade of experience covering the NBA, WNBA, NFL, WWE, MLB, and the entertainment industry. Known for delivering high-impact stories and headline-making interviews, Buford has earned a global audience through content that blends insider access with compelling storytelling.
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