‘That’s The Don’: While Mavs teammates gush over Luka Doncic’s game-winner, Clippers show snappy frustration

In a normal, non-pandemic world, Game 4 of the Mavericks’ first-round playoff series against the Clippers would’ve happened in American Airlines Center, not the NBA’s Disney World bubble.

It’s impossible to know whether the matchup and series would’ve played out as it has after the NBA’s coronavirus suspension, but one is certain:

If the game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer Luka Doncic made in overtime Sunday had come in Dallas, the sold-out AAC crowd would’ve been euphoric.

From the NBA’s centralized set-up near Orlando, the reaction to the Mavericks’ 135-133 win was limited to gushing teammates and coaches, dejected Clippers and thousands of excited messages from social media.

“Just a very, very special player,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “This game today was from another planet.”

Doncic had several stellar moments while compiling 43 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, his second triple-double in as many games and the only two in Mavericks playoff history.

The 21-year-old All-Star made a spinning layup with 19 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Mavericks a 132-130 lead. Some compared the move to a sequence from LeBron James in the Lakers’ win Saturday night.

As Doncic recorded 13 points and five assists in the third quarter, helping the Mavericks on a 16-0 run to erase what was once a 21-point deficit, ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy marveled about Doncic’s “legendary stuff.”

The final play cemented the game as one the best in Doncic’s prodigious career.

Out of a timeout after Marcus Morris Sr. gave the Clippers a 133-132 lead with 9.6 seconds remaining, Los Angeles had a foul to give and used it against Doncic.

With 3.7 seconds remaining, Dorian Finney-Smith inbounded the ball to Doncic. Four dribbles — one between his legs — and a stepback later, Doncic watched the 28-foot attempt fall through the net. His teammates surrounded him.

“That is who he is,” Curry said. “As soon as we saw that he was in the lineup, we knew we were going to get something special from him tonight.”

The Clippers’ frustration showed after the game as Kawhi Leonard offered a terse answer about the “amazing basketball” Doncic has played at 21 years old. Rivers responded with a rhetorical question when asked about Reggie Jackson, rather than Leonard, guarding Doncic on the last play.

“Obviously Luka made the shot, right?” Rivers said. “Clearly we wished we could have done something else.”

The Mavericks, unsurprisingly, had no gripes about the defensive switch or the outcome.

“That’s ‘The Don,’” Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “That’s why they call him ‘Luka Magic,’ man. I ain’t got nothing else to say. You guys call him ‘Luka Magic.’ I call him ‘The Don.’”

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