Not for Luka Dončić, and not for the Dallas Mavericks fans who felt betrayed and wanted to show they didn’t endorse the organizational treachery that was performed by trading Dončić.
he feeling and the connection illustrated by so many fans who packed Dallas’ American Airlines Center was for Dončić and not the franchise — perhaps because they don’t recognize what they see when the Mavericks step onto the floor every night.
But they recognized Dončić, even in purple and gold. Even playing for the hated Lakers and coming out of that far tunnel opposed to the one across from the Mavericks bench — they knew him, grew with him and for the first time since that Saturday night in February, they were able to honor him.
They recognized his wizardry, on full display in the Lakers’ 112-97 win as he scored 45 points with eight rebounds and six assists. It showed why Mavericks fans never wanted him to leave and why the Lakers feel they have a legitimate shot at playing into June for the first time in a long time.
Dončić hopes for closure, but he’s nowhere near close to getting past this — and it’ll probably take Mavericks fans even longer if the weird scene is any indication. Dončić has this marquee franchise to play for, which could help him in some cathartic way.
“It’s a hard question. For sure, it’s a little bit more — talking about closure. Sometimes it’s hard because I spent a lot of moments here,” Dončić said. “Great moments. But it’s getting more and more (normal). I got to focus on different things.”
Like playing with another genius playmaker in LeBron James and a growing mismatch problem in Austin Reaves, who feasts on lesser defenders. The behind-the-back passes, the step-back triples (he hit seven of them), entertaining the crowd — he played as if he were at home.
Dončić played as if he carried a franchise to the NBA Finals without having LeBron James as a teammate. He singled out the highlight of his game-winner over Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in last year’s Western Conference finals as notable in his tribute.
He played as if he were a top-three player in the game, like the mere thought of trading him was crazy talk, like a fantasy that shouldn’t be treated with any seriousness. But it’s real, and it’s a nightmare for Dallas — some fans still in denial were proudly wearing shirts that read “Team Luka.”
They cheered his every move, showering him with so much affection at various times throughout the night all he could do was put his own hands together to salute them at the end of the night. The take foul he committed in the final minutes was to give the fans another chance at a standing ovation, along with a “Luka! Luka!” chant that had Lakers players egging the crowd on to show more appreciation.
The Lakers took care of business after the Mavericks methodically stayed in the game, and the home team actually took an 87-85 lead after a Klay Thompson triple with nine minutes left. But the moment was just a moment, unsustainable on most days let alone this one, and the Lakers took control shortly thereafter.
“We had a small blip to start the fourth quarter, but our guys had Luka’s back and he had his teammates back,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I thought LeBron in the second half, the amount of energy he expended on a second night of a back-to-back on both ends of the floor … he shaped stuff, he led our defense again.”
The Mavericks have Anthony Davis instead of Dončić, and the big man could muster only 13 points and 11 rebounds in his first game against the franchise he thought he’d end his career with. But this was never going to be emotional for Davis the way it was — the way it is — for Dončić. The stage, the moment and coming off Tuesday night’s fourth-quarter ejection in Oklahoma City meant Dončić had plenty to give, even if he was emotionally spent.
“It was a little bit of both, happy and angry, but it’s nice to see some familiar faces here,” Dončić said. “I was tired and I didn’t sleep much, excited about the game. I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me.”
With their cheers — and derisive chants aimed at Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, calling for his firing at so many stoppages in play Wednesday night — they showed whose side they stand firmly on.
Dončić's cheeky face swelled even more during the two-minute highlight video that played before he was introduced, and, as these moments tend to do, reminded fans of the full career Dončić had in a short time in Dallas.
How young he looked on draft night in 2018, when multiple teams passed him over, enabling the Mavericks to benefit from others' misfortune and bad choices. Now, they’re on the other side of it, watching the rich get richer because of their misfortune.
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