"MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE, YEAHHHHH!!!" - Luka Doncic Once Again Showed The World Why He's One Bad Motherfucker

As a big "credit where credit is due" guy, I can't help but take some time this morning to give Luka Doncic his flowers. In my blog yesterday previewing last night's Game 2 slate, I talked about how the Mavs season was pretty much on the line after they were demolished in Game 1. Whether fair or not, it all fall on the best player and MVP candidate Luka Doncic, and it was on him to figure out a way to secure the split and get back home with all the momentum in the world.

How'd he do? 

he showed the world exactly why he's one bad motherfucker. Through the first 3 quarters, I'd say Luka was mostly fine. Nothing spectacular, nothing disastrous. A solid 25/5/5 on 9-22 (22) heading into the 4th quarter and a throwback 90s score of 66-65, it was the way Luka Doncic closed this game that showed his greatness. Every time they needed a play, he made it. When it came time to make the biggest shot of the night and throw the knockout punch, Luka delivered

That's about as primal of a scream as you'll ever see, and I don't know how many times teams need to see it before they realize you have to be ready for Luka to go to his left and then stepback. We've seen him his massive shots with that exact move no fewer than 10,000 times since he entered the league, and you can see why. It's lethal. Luka going to his left with the game in the balance late in the 4th quarter is about as automatic as it gets, and given what it means to avoid going down 0-2 based on NBA history, it's a shot that very well could have saved the Mavs season.

But the reason I want to make sure we give Luka his well deserved credit isn't just because of what he did on the offensive end. We already know he's a generational scorer. But in the playoffs, to win games and series you HAVE to be able to defend at a consistent level. 

Well…

Admit it, if someone were to tell you there were multiple possessions where Luka was on an island defensively against Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, you would be confident in him getting cooked right? 

I say it all the time, everything in these games starts and ends with the best player. When they play the right way, that's contagious. When they are engaged defensively and actually play with effort, that's contagious. Holding a fully healthy Clippers team to under 94 points is pretty ridiculous, especially for a Mavs defense that has been average at best at times this year (18th).

So on one end, you have Luka getting whatever he wanted offensively, proving to be an impossible cover. Then on the other end you have him locking down some of the best scorers in the league. Who cares if it never happens again to this level, the Mavs only needed to split. Now they have homecourt where they were 25-16 during the year, and this series has new life.

The Mavs needed an MVP type of performance from Luka, and they got it. They needed Kyrie to show up, and they got it. They needed the "others" to have their moments (like PJ Washington's 18), and they got it. For all that to happen on the road in a game we saw Kawhi Leonard return, is very impressive. 

The pressure now shifts to LAC, and from the looks of things, this has the exact look of a series that's destined to go 7 games.