"My large adult Slovenian son is all grown up"- NBA analyst hilariously shows love with Luka Doncic on cusp of finals appearance
NBA analyst Nick Wright hilariously praised Luka Doncic after he led the Mavericks to a 3-0 lead against the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals on Sunday. Wright, a huge Doncic fan, has labeled him as his "Slovenian son" on several segments of his show "First Things First."
After Sunday's Game 3 win in which Doncic bagged 33 points, Wright expressed how proud he was of Doncic, saying:
"My large adult Slovenian son is all grown up and is going to the NBA Finals."
After making that comment, Wright pulled out a series of tweets from the past where he predicted the Mavericks' ceiling correctly for the past two months. Wright said on Mar. 19 that "nobody wants to see" a Mavericks team with a healthy Kyrie Irving.
On Apr. 16, Nick Wright analyzed why the Mavericks were the next big team in the Nuggets and the biggest threat in the Western Conference. He made that assessment based on Luka Doncic being the only player who could match reigning three-time MVP Nikola Jokic in the league.
On May 17, he hailed the Mavericks as the most "dangerous team" in basketball after they went up 3-2 against the OKC Thunder in the conference semis. That followed with him calling the Mavericks favorites in the conference finals to win against Minnesota in six games on May 21.
Nick Wright doubled down on his predictions for the Mavericks on Friday, saying they were on their way to Boston for Game 1 of the finals.
Luka Doncic has been unstoppable in the conference semis
Luka Doncic has been a difference-maker in the Timberwolves-Mavericks Western Conference finals series. Coming off a rocky playoff run, Doncic's form was critical to the team's success against a Minnesota team riding high on confidence after beating the reigning champions, Denver Nuggets.
Doncic answered the call and delivered as per his expectations. Through three games, Doncic has averaged 32.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He has been solid defensively, too, tallying 2.7 steals per contest. Doncic has shot an impressive 46.4% from the floor, including 40.6% from 3.
The Timberwolves have seemingly thrown all kinds of coverages at him, but none have faced the Slovenian superstar. That was particularly impressive since the Timberwolves were the most elite team defensively this season and probably in a long time in the NBA.
Luka Doncic ended any hopes of a Timberwolves comeback in Game 3 after bagging 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in a 116-107 home win to put the Mavericks one win away from a finals berth.