"Baby Bird missed 18 shots (and missed 10 threes!) in tonight's do-or-die game???" - Skip Bayless goes off on Luka Doncic, criticizes underperformance in clutch game 5 vs Golden State Warriors as Dallas crash out of playoffs

Luka Doncic will emerge a better player next season after the painful loss to the Golden State Warriors [Photo: New York Post]

The Golden State Warriors were determined not to allow Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks a fast start in Game 5 like they did in the previous game. Unlike in Game 4 where the Warriors seemed to be sleepwalking, their rotation was crisp and their energy on defense was relentless to put Dallas on notice.

The Dubs swarmed Doncic almost every time he had the ball, which caused the Slovenian superstar to struggle. Dallas’ best player ended the first 12 minutes by missing 8 of 10 shots, including all four three-point attempts.

The Warriors did not let up, hounding Doncic the rest of the way, forcing the All-NBA guard to one of the worst postseason games of his career.

Skip Bayless, who has been taking shots at the 23-year-old guard throughout the playoffs, quickly pounced on the opportunity to criticize Doncic’s performance:

"'Baby Bird' missed 10 shots (and missed 10 threes!) in tonight’s do-or-die game??? I’ll be chirping tomorrow on Undisputed.”

"Baby Bird" missed 18 shots (and missed 10 threes!) in tonight's do-or-die game??? I'll be chirping tomorrow on Undisputed.

The Undisputed co-host has repeatedly called Luka Doncic “Baby Bird” to ridicule the superstar point guard and fans who compared him to Boston Celtics great Larry Bird. While some have likened Doncic’s play to Bird’s greatness, Bayless has gone in the opposite direction with his comments.

One of the biggest compliments that fans and basketball analysts have repeatedly mentioned in the past few weeks has been the three-time All-Star’s performance in elimination games. Luka Doncic owns the highest points average in win-or-go home games before Game 5 against the Warriors with 36.4 a game.

Luka has the highest points average in NBA history when playing elimination games! 🪄💪

#lukadoncic #lebronjames #michaeljordan #wiltchamberlain #kevindurant https://t.co/8Y21OEYV1t

A more relevant point has been the Dallas Mavericks' immaculate 3-0 record in the 2022 playoffs in elimination games. Game 5, however, would change that as the Golden State Warriors just proved to be too much for Doncic and the Mavs to overcome.

Luka Doncic and the Mavericks will come back stronger

The Dallas Mavericks will only be hungrier and more determined next season. [Photo: FanSided]

As painful as it is for the Mavericks to see their season end, the future is brighter than ever for Mark Cuban’s team. This is the deepest they have been in the postseason since Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas to an upset of LeBron James and the Miami Heat in 2011.

Luka Doncic, as good as he has been, is still 23 and will learn from this humbling experience. He’s never been this far in the NBA and it showed in a few instances in the series against the championship pedigree of the Warriors.

.@mcuban reflecting on the 2021-22 Dallas Mavericks season with Marc Stein.

@dallasmavs | 📺 BSSW | #dALLasIN | #NBAPlayoffs | @TheSteinLine https://t.co/YZROfVsnq0

If Mark Cuban can retool the roster to provide a better supporting cast for “Luka Legend,” Dallas should be bona fide title contenders next season.