By Michael Kinney
It didn’t take long for Oklahoma City Thunder fans to latch on to Luka Doncic. Early in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Dallas, the Mavericks, guard was being called everything from Fat Luka to a crybaby.
When fans showed up for Game 2 at the Paycom Center, some had already had t-shirts made portraying Doncic in a variety of unflattering ways. It has only progressed throughout the series.
It has been even more savage on social media where the veteran guard has become a meme and the butt of jokes.
Yet, when Doncic was asked about all of the attention Thunder fans have been giving him during the series, the Ljubljana, Slovenia native smiled and said he loved it.
“When they chant Luka sucks, it gets me going,” Doncic said after Game 5. “It’s even better.”
Doncic had every reason to smile and laugh. The Mavericks hold a 3-2 lead over top-seed Oklahoma City with a chance to close out the series at home and move on to the conference finals.
Doncic is coming off a game in which he shot 12 of 22 from the field and posted 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Despite not seemingly shooting particularly well throughout the series, the Thunder have not found a way to stop him from seemingly getting anything he wants.
That doesn’t mean Doncic hasn’t had his share of criticism. A missed free throw in the final seconds of Game 4 had some blaming the 4-time All-NBA performer for the loss.
But the main focus of fans and media has been Doncic’s constant complaining to the referees during games. Through the first four games of the series, it overshadowed not only his play but also how competitive the series had been.
That appeared to have changed in Game 5. Doncic made a concerted effort to tone down his complaints and focus on his game.
“It was intentional. I talk to them normal without complaining,” Doncic said. “I think it was the whole game, nothing. So I just go out there and have fun, man. Have fun. The old Luca with a smile on my face. (I) Just focus on basketball. Remember the thing I love, the thing I love to do, and just play basketball man. I just was focused on playing basketball, having fun out there, playing with my teammates and just win the game.”
It was evident Doncic was having fun. From a barrage of alley-oop passes to his teammates to the back and forth he had with Thunder fans sitting courtside, he did it all with a smile and sometimes a little dance.
It was something Dallas coach Jason Kidd was glad to see, as well.
“I would say he’s going to get a triple-double, but he gets a triple-double no matter what,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said about his star. “I think you saw his intent. He was aggressive, he was making shots, taking shots, the deep threes, being able to get to the basket, play-making for his bigs and also for the wings and just the trust factor. I thought he did a great job of taking care of the ball, but his intent was to get to the basket and score and he did that at a high level.”
Kidd, who was in the same position as Doncic when he was an all-world caliber point guard in the NBA, said he didn’t have to do too much to help Doncic refocus on the task at hand, which is winning.
“I think it’s by just talking to him. He’s human. He’s not a robot. We all sometimes take him for granted that he’s just going to pencil in or pin in 30, 10 and 10,” Kidd said. “The playoffs are hard mentally and physically. I understand that you’re not going to get any calls on the road. You got to play through it and then also just the support for one another. I thought our support in Game 4 was low to our standards and to our culture, and I thought the group responded in a positive way with the bench and then cheering for those guys who are coming in for one another. I thought there was a big connection there.”
A refocused Doncic has shown to be a problem for the Thunder. But that may be the least of their worries as they head into a crucial Game 6 Saturday in Dallas.
If Oklahoma City can’t find some 3-point shooting and rebounding and counterattack the Maverick’s physical inside presence, their season could be over by Saturday night.
However, a win would force a Game 7 back in Oklahoma City on Monday night. It would give Doncic one last opportunity to see some of the t-shirts he missed from The Thunder fans in the previous games.
“They love me though,” Doncic said. “They went, they paid for jerseys. I mean for the shirts to put my face on them.”
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