“Congratulations Michael Jordan, you finally have company” - Nick Wright on Luka Doncic equalling Michael Jordan’s PPG record in the post season, says the Mavericks lost because of awful defence
Luka Doncic and his offensive greatness were highlighted in Tuesday’s episode of “First Things First”. Hosts Nick Wright and Chris Broussard commented on the Game 1 performance from Dallas and Luka’s large performance.
Unfortunately for the Mavericks, Doncic’s performance did not translate to a victory. The squad fell short, with the Phoenix Suns taking the game 121-114. Luka Doncic finished the game with 45 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. His performance netted him a playoff point-per-game average of 33.4, tying the great Michael Jordan for first place.
Nick Wright weighs in:
“Congratulations Michael Jordan, you finally have company.”
Luka Doncic had more than double the stats than the second highest player from his team in each category. Meaning, the next highest points scored was 19 from Maxi Kleber, the second highest number of rebounds tallied was six, by Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock. The second highest number of assists dished out were four by Spencer Dinwiddie.
Luka quite literally took the entire game into his own hands against the Phoenix Suns of all powerhouses and only came shy by seven points. It is a Michael Jordan stat in itself.
The Dallas Mavericks are going to have to figure out their defense if they hope to stand a chance going forward. The Suns have a dominant big position with Deandre Ayton running the 5. Game 1 proved that there really is no player on the Mavericks that can pushback against Ayton in the key. That will be an issue.
In any case, Luka Doncic tying Michael Jordan’s playoff points-per-game average at the mere age of 23 is insane. Already leading the Mavericks franchise in triple-doubles,Doncic continues to add legendary accolades to his career at such a young age. Here's hoping that Dallas may be able to figure out some help for his future, as the young star really only needs a touch more support.
There stands no need for a drastic change in Dallas, but Luka Doncic obviously needs help. Even Michael Jordan had Rodman and Pippen. Give Luka his Rodman and Pippen and watch Dallas skyrocket.
In only his fourth season in the NBA, Luka is averaging 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game. When Michael Jordan was in his 4th season (1987-88), he finished having averaged 35.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.
Though the GOAT finished with a higher point average, Doncic finished close, having averaged much higher rebounds and assists. That means that Luka really can administrate any part of the floor with dominance.
The Dallas Mavericks finished in fourth place in the Western Conference with 52 wins to 30 losses for the 2021-22 NBA season. Luka Doncic absolutely carried his squad in relative MJ fashion right into a top five spot going into the playoffs. Only to then drop over 40 points in the opening game.
The 23-year old star is the definition of reliable in the clutch. There are players that show-up at times that they need to, and then there are players like Doncic that simply do not stop showing up, ever. Every second on the floor for Luka is a breath of efficiency, which again, is much in Jordan fashion.
The future for Dallas looks great if the squad can run a few new players around Luka in the future. Dropping 40+ on command in a playoff performance against the running favorites is ridiculous.