"He does not want to be Dan Marino"- NBA analyst boldly says Luka Doncic, not Jayson Tatum, has more urgency to win a ring
ESPN’s Alan Hahn recently claimed that it is Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks who are under more pressure to win the 2024 NBA Championship. Bringing forth a reference to former NFL quarterback and current Miami Dolphins advisor Dan Marino, Hahn claimed that while the Mavericks might not be able to return to the Finals in the near future, the Boston Celtics will still be the best team in the NBA, next campaign.
Hahn talked about how the Western Conference is much more difficult to play in, compared to the East, claiming that there are a number of teams that will challenge Doncic's Mavericks again next season. Hahn talked about the likes of Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, and Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves, claiming that both teams will pose big challenges for the Mavericks and Doncic in the coming campaigns:
“If you are Luka Doncic, you are not even on the green here. You look at what is in the West waiting for you, opportunities. Luka Doncic does not want to be Dan Marino. Early in your career, you get there and never get back. Even though you could be one of the best, if not the best player in the game, in the West it is a lot harder than it is in the East.
He added:
I can see the Celtics coming back, but you got Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP, he is still around and he is still in his prime and they want to comeback and win another championship. How about Anthony Edwards? You know he is on his way as well. He wants to be back, he is going to be somebody you got to face.”
Hahn then mentioned Victor Wembanyama, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry. He claimed that Wembanyama’s Spurs are the future of the NBA, and that both James and Curry are also still ‘alive’:
And then of course there is the future of the NBA, in San Antonio and that’s Victor Wembanyama. So you have him as well, there is a lot at stake, and by the way, LeBron James and Steph Curry are still alive and playing basketball. They are in the West as well, it’s a lot harder in the West to get to the Final, arguably.”
Hence, for Hahn, the Mavericks have been given a unique opportunity, that they might not get again in the near future, to return with the championship trophy.
Are Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks up against the best team in the NBA?
There is little doubt that the Celtics have one of the most impressive rosters in the NBA. Banking on their young leaders in the form of the 26-year-old Jayson Tatum and the 27-year-old Jaylen Brown, the Celtics have made their second NBA Finals in their last 3 campaigns.
While they lost the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2022-23 season, the Celtics now have only the Mavericks in their way to win their first trophy since 2008. Alan Hahn believes that they will get further chances, considering they will continue being the best team in the league next year as well:
“The Celtics will say, we can get back next year because next year guess what? They are still going to be the best team in the league.”
That, in itself, makes perfect sense, considering the lesser competition that the Eastern Conference has boasted of in recent years. Alongside Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and a fitting supporting cast, there is simply no reason to doubt the analyst’s claims.
On the other hand, Dallas Mavericks fans will be hoping that their own big 2 in the form of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic show up in-form yet again, despite arguably coming up against a better team.