LeBron James' friend Cuffs The Legend shares dad's frustration with Luka Doncic's game after Game 1 loss: "whining to the refs too much”
Besides his offensive capabilities on the court, Luka Doncic is also heralded for his precise decision-making. However, he only had one assist in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which has attracted some criticism. Additionally, LeBron James's friend Cuffs The Legend shared online that even his dad was not too pleased with what he saw from Doncic.
The Mavericks superstar is known to be a walking triple-double, regardless of what opposing defenses throw at him. However, the Celtics' defensive coverages did enough to limit his presence on the court, outside of some tough shotmaking. Boston was successful in their design to limit Dallas' lob threat opportunities, including easy drive-and-kick passes.
Cuffs The Legend's post garnered attention on X as it highlighted Luka Doncic's tendencies with high usage per possession, resulting in some stagnant possessions.
"On the phone with Pops talking about the game last night and Pops said, 'Luka holds the ball too long and he takes everybody else out the game ... the ball needs to be moving man and he be whining to the refs too much.'"
Based on how the Celtics guarded Doncic, they made sure that his supporting cast of players would be forced to make a play for themselves or the team if their star player decided to move the rock. It resulted in head-scratching possessions for Dallas as they ended up struggling to get quality looks.
Additionally, it didn't help the team's situation when Luka Doncic complained about certain calls to referees, as pointed out in the sports media personality's post. From various angles of the game, it was a frustrating night all around for the Dallas Mavericks on the road.
Luka Doncic unfazed after a disappointing Game 1 of the NBA Finals
Luka Doncic's 30-point performance would catch the eyes of fans checking out the box score stats of last night's Game 1. However, it came up short of delivering a win as Dallas fell 107-89 to the Boston Celtics. Following the loss, the five-time NBA All-Star looked forward to bouncing back in Game 2 of the series.
"You lose or you win," Doncic said. "First of four. We are going to focus on the next game."
To win on the road has always been difficult for any team at this stage, however, the fact remains that Dallas is 7-2 on the road in this year's postseason. After a tough loss, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks have an opportunity to steal a game at Boston's TD Garden before they head back home to Dallas for Game 3.