“Doncic Leads Mavericks to Finals: A Promising Future Ahead”
Jared McCain might be popular among TikTok users, but he recently faced criticism from Dallas Mavericks fans. In an interview, the Philadelphia 76ers rookie was asked to play “start, bench, cut” with three top players: Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 6-foot-3 guard chose to start Gilgeous-Alexander and bench Edwards, which upset Mavs fans when he decided to cut Doncic.
“I’m sorry if you even have TikTok or whatever,” McCain said, apologizing for his choice. However, this didn’t quell the backlash from Dallas supporters on social media.
Fans pointed out that during last season’s playoffs, Doncic and the Mavericks outperformed both Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards.
After advancing past the first round, Dallas faced the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. The Thunder took Game 1, but the Mavericks managed to win on the road and secured Game 3 at home. Although Oklahoma City tied the series, it would be their last win of the season. Doncic and the Mavericks went on to win Games 5 and 6, moving on to the Western Conference Finals.
In six games against the Thunder, Doncic averaged close to a triple-double with 24.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. While his scoring was lower than usual, he returned to form with several 30-point performances in the next series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dallas jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the series, with Doncic being nearly unstoppable. He scored at least 30 points in each of the first three games, highlighted by a game-winning step-back three against Rudy Gobert in Game 2.
The Timberwolves managed to win Game 4, but Doncic’s 36-point performance in Game 5 clinched the series for the Mavericks. He averaged 32.4 points per game during the series, marking his first NBA Finals appearance.
Although Dallas did not win the championship, the future looks promising, especially with the offseason addition of Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson. This new firepower around Doncic gives Mavericks fans reason to be optimistic after the Finals loss.