Luka Doncic spoke at the press conference after the victory in the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He was the key player in the triumph (108:105), scoring 15 of his total 33 points in the final quarter, along with eight assists and six rebounds. Notably, he initiated a 13:1 run, scoring seven consecutive points in 63 seconds, which paved the way for the Dallas Mavericks’ victory and a 1-0 lead in the series.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress in rebounding; everyone is aggressive in trying to box out for the defensive rebound. Kyrie Irving played a phenomenal first half, scoring 24 points. If he hadn’t been hitting those shots, we would probably have been down by 20 points at halftime. I really appreciate that from him.
I told myself that we had to win this game. I didn’t play well for three quarters, but in the final quarter, I managed to find my spots, made my shots, and we won. The defensive play where I stopped Jaden McDaniels was all about scouting, I read the play, and I love doing that.
In the upcoming games, we need more open shots. I’m shooting poorly, but it’s essential to keep shooting, ensure better ball movement, and keep believing. Everyone on this team believes, even when we were down, we came together as a team and won. The way we won the first game was incredible, but it’s just 1-0. We need to come back ready for the next game.
It all depends on how we play defense. I think we can do much better, and besides that, we control the pace. It’s crucial for the ball to move quickly on offense, something we’ve talked about since the preparations for this season,” explained Luka Doncic.
Anthony Edwards
“He’s an amazing player. You have to double-team him because it’s practically impossible to stop him one-on-one. He’s one of those players you constantly need to double and help on defense. We can’t relax now that we’re up 1-0 because it doesn’t mean anything,” concluded Luka Doncic.