Luka Doncic wins WCF Magic Johnson MVP trophy, erases pain of losing regular season award
Luka Doncic won his maiden Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP award on Thursday after the Mavericks' 124-103 Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He ended the series with a 36-point outing, including 20 in the first quarter, that pretty much decided the game's fate early.
He shot 14-of-22, including 6-of-10 from 3. Doncic added 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, too. The win helped the Mavericks star overcome the pain of not winning the regular season MVP and eventually went to Nikola Jokic, who won the award for the third time in four years.
Doncic will hope that his accolade collection doesn't stop here and that he can bag the 2024 NBA Finals MVP award by winning the title to prove his doubters wrong.
Luka Doncic credits teammates for unanimous WCF MVP win
Luka Doncic credited his teammates for winning the WCF MVP award unanimously.
"This trophy is the whole team man, it’s not me," Doncic said. "This means a lot, we’re going to NBA Finals, just can’t believe it."
Doncic's MVP win was a reward for his exploits, but the Mavericks going to the finals is the result of a collective effort. The Mavericks did an excellent job keeping the ship afloat in the previous rounds as Doncic struggled with injuries and form. He had an unusually long slump against the LA Clippers and OKC Thunder as he shot 40.0%, including 26.0% from 3 in his first 10 playoff games.
Dallas was also solid defensively, a key ingredient to its success. It was an anomaly for the Mavericks to win, with Doncic struggling for most of the year. But Kyrie Irving's heroics, with excellent efforts from P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, proved critical at various junctures.
The Mavericks will be glad Luka Doncic has consistently shot at an efficient clip in the conference finals, averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists, making 47.3% of his attempts, including 43.4% from 3. He maintained consistency from the free throw line with an 84.6% conversion rate.
The Mavericks can't afford a slump from Doncic in the finals, so this is an encouraging sign ahead of a difficult matchup against the league's best team, the Boston Celtics.