“I mean damn, the game was so physical” - Jay Williams says 2-time All-NBA player looked like he came out of heavyweight fight after game 1 of Western Conference finals
Jay Williams has said that Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors has been akin to a heavyweight fight. Williams said so after Luka Doncic endured a large scratch on his face.
The Warriors won the first game of the series, beating the Mavericks 112-87. Only a few minutes after the game began, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins missed the ball and swiped Doncic in the face instead. That left Doncic with a big cut on his face that luckily did not end up bleeding.
Williams said:
“I mean damn, the game was so physical.”
The game started out in much the same fashion as the Warriors' last matchup against the Grizzlies. Golden State, known usually as a primarily offensive threat, has brought a large bout of aggression into this year's playoffs.
Luka's face after getting scratched in the face by Andrew Wiggins 😳 https://t.co/jhLyD24XSe
After the game, Doncic said about his scar:
“It’s good. It makes me look tough.”
With the physicality Golden State has been showcasing this postseason, Dallas has their task cut out.
Can Luka Doncic fire Dallas Mavericks into NBA Finals?
With Luka Doncic on fire as always, the veteran Warriors squad is going to try showing the young 23-year-old Mavericks star what it means to play against the best.
Doncic, despite his age, is not fearful of anybody, though. He's not one to back down, so there could be more aggression from the Warriors coming his way in the series.
The game went on with physicality regardless of Doncic's scratch. There was no mercy shown as Doncic was seen massaging his shoulder in the second quarter. As the Mavericks' key player, Doncic is bound to get most of the aggression sent his way.
His Mavericks teammates started out 4-for-22 from beyond the arc and finished 11-for-48. Doncic was basically alone out there in the first game of the Western Conference finals.
Luka has been grabbing and rotating his right shoulder in apparent discomfort https://t.co/UJHASxlHl9
Again, Doncic is not the player to duck any amount of smoke. Anything thrown his way is arguably going to get thrown back tenfold. So Golden State is going to have to throw their toughness to the absolute max if they hope to slow him down.
The scary part is that the scratch hardly slowed down Doncic at all. He went into halftime leading everybody with 18 points and had many shots from the deep after hitting his shoulder.
Nevertheless, Doncic will have to keep up this form if the Mavericks hope to reach the NBA Finals at the Heat's expense. This Golden State squad is an experienced one, especially at the business end of the playoffs. With Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors can be a handful for most things.
However, with Luka Doncic on the floor, the Mavericks will fancy their chances of beating the Heat.