"He went colder than Belichick's heart": Skip Bayless launches LeBron-esque attack on Luka Doncic after Mavericks lose NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics secured their 18th championship with a decisive 106-88 victory over the Mavericks in Game 5. Following the game, Skip Bayless delivered a 94-second rant blaming Luka Doncic for the Mavericks' loss.
In a video posted on his X (formerly Twitter) page, Bayless criticized Luka Doncic for his poor performance in the Finals, much like he often does with LeBron James. Bayless has been a notable critic of James, frequently questioning his greatness in the sport.
Bayless expressed regret for picking the Mavericks and placing his hopes on Luka Doncic, criticizing his poor 3-point shooting in the Finals.
"He shot 38% from 3 during the regular season and 40% from 3 as he lifted the Mavericks to the Western Conference playoffs, which were much tougher than the Eastern Conference playoffs," Bayless said.
"And then we get to this level, this stage, the finals. Luka went colder than Belichick's heart, especially in Boston. I couldn't recognize him."
Bayless referenced former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who is known for his coldness and stoic personality.
Doncic, although the best player for the Mavericks in his first NBA Finals, struggled significantly with his 3-point shooting.
During the regular season, Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 38.2% from beyond the arc. However, he only managed to shoot 24.4% from 3-point range in the Finals.
Doncic started strong in the Finals, hitting four triples in 12 attempts in Game 1 and four in nine attempts in Game 2, but his accuracy plummeted, making just one of seven attempts in Game 3 and going 0-for-8 in Game 4.
In Game 5, Doncic made only two of nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Skip Bayless says he was a fool to pick Luka Doncic’s Mavericks to win the Finals
Skip Bayless said he was a fool to pick the Mavericks to win over the Boston Celtics, who had the best record in the regular season, to win the NBA Finals.
“I picked the Dallas Mavericks to win in seven games in the NBA Finals, and I was wrong. I was a fool. But I did so because of Luka Doncic,” Bayless said.
Bayless also criticized Doncic's overall performance in the Finals, except for the first half of Game 4, where he scored 25 points.
Bayless highlighted Doncic’s struggles with free throws and turnovers. Doncic had a free-throw percentage of 58.6 in the NBA Finals, committed eight turnovers in Game 2, seven in Game 5, and averaged 4.6 turnovers per game in the Finals.
“Luka just stunk for most of this finals. I give Jaylen Brown a lot of credit, and he probably deserved MVP just for his defense on Luka. He attacked him tonight in Game 5 in Boston. But in the end, man, was I disappointed in Luka. His reputation took a big hit with me,” Bayless said.
Jaylen Brown won the Finals MVP award after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists while guarding Doncic.