Celtics’ experience too much for young Mavericks

By David Mullen

Acclaimed Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho, who is most noted for his 1988 novel “The Alchemist,” wrote: “You are not defeated when you lose. You are defeated when you quit.” That quote aptly assesses the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks season that ended on June 17. The team lost to a superior Boston Celtics team 4 games to 1 in the 2024 NBA Finals. 

But the Mavs were not defeated, because the Mavs did not quit. 

As the confetti fell from the rafters at TD Garden in Boston and the Celtics celebrated their 18th NBA Championship, Dallas was not deflated. They were spent. They had endured a long and surprising trek to even earn a place in the NBA Finals.

The 2023-24 Mavericks finished the regular season with a 50-32 record. Boston finished the regular season with a 64-18 record, earned a No.1 seed and set a Celtics record by going 16-3 in the playoffs. This was the Celtics year to win. 

In 1995, the Houston Rockets entered the postseason with a 47-35 record as a sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, the Rockets beat four higher seeded teams to become the lowest-seeded team to ever win the NBA Championship.

In 2024, the Mavericks entered as a fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. While Houston had to beat four 50-win teams to win the 1995 NBA title, Dallas had to beat three 50-win teams along the road to the 2024 NBA Finals.

The Mavs beat the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers, the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder and the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. A series victory over Boston would have equaled Houston’s nearly 30-year-old run through four 50-win teams to win a championship. 

Dallas never once had home court advantage in the playoffs. Boston had the home court advantage in each series. It was too much for a young Dallas team to overcome. But as a learning experience, it was invaluable.

Boston won the NBA championship after losing to the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. With the inner core of the team in place, the Celtics made two key offseason moves. 

The Celtics traded Marcus Smart and received All-Star forward Kristaps Porziņģis and included Grant Williams in a trade that netted two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday. Head coach Joe Mazzulla, 35, in his first full year as the permanent head coach after losing the interim tag, created a winning environment. 

The Mavericks have almost everything in place to begin a Celtics-like run. They signed President/GM Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd to long term deals. They have no free agent issues, although salary cap restrictions may make keeping role player Derrick Jones Jr. difficult. They are young. Only Kyrie Irving, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi  Kluber are in their early 30s. And they have Luka Doncic. 

Fans may never know how injured the All-World 25-year-old Doncic was during the playoffs. He limped, bled and grimaced, got beat up by stronger players and continued to dazzle. He is a notorious gym rat, plays a full NBA slate and then continues to play in his native Slovenia. 

He has been selected to play on the Slovenia Olympic team. Qualifying begins on July 2. If the team survives a tournament that includes Greece, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Croatia and Egypt — and they will — Doncic will move on to the Paris Summer Games beginning in late July against much stiffer competition. No rest for the weary.

“If it’s good, I’m going to go play [in the Olympics],” Doncic told the media working the NBA Finals in Boston but did acknowledge that he has an issue with his knee. In the best interest of Doncic as a player and the Mavericks as a team, Luka should not participate in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. 

The best thing for the Mavericks’ long term future is for Doncic to get healthy, improve his conditioning program and learn from his first NBA Finals experience. On the big stage, Doncic played like a seasoned veteran but often acted like a brat. 

His complaining to the referees, while sometimes warranted, sent the wrong message. 

“I’ve got a lot of things to learn,” Doncic said to the media. “This is my first NBA Finals, so I’m going to learn from it, for sure.” He should take the learning and spend the offseason working on his physical and mental wellbeing.

When Irving came to Dallas, he was pegged as a volatile, troubled player with immense talent. Irving has been a model player, embracing his teammates, management, fans and the city of Dallas. He is a changed man. Doncic could use the offseason to mature and channel his emotions. The right attitude could take his talents to a level rarely seen in basketball history.   

The Mavericks are not defeated, and they don’t quit. But they need a physically and mentally healthy Luka Doncic before they can win the NBA Finals.