It’s that time of the year again when Luka Doncic will bring out his postseason fiery avatar. Sure, the emotions usually run in his favor. Remember his return to Dallas where the 2-minute video montage brought him to tears but then he went ahead and gave a “Superhuman” performance (His numbers in the Lakers’ 112-97 victory: 45 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals) because walking into the arena he was, “A little bit of both, happy and angry.” In contrast, his last trip to OKC Thunder’s home where he picked two technical calls for an ejection while bantering with a fan shows the destructive side of competitiveness. But come playoffs, this fire runs the offensive machine that is Doncic.

He even agrees, “The goal is to win a championship. I think we have a great team. We have guys that are willing to go to war. Everybody is staying together. The chemistry is high, so I think we for sure have a chance.” But the “war” mentality has JJ Redick and the Lakers locker room in a pickle as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team Luka gave out his best performance against in the last playoff run in Dallas.

On Thursday, Dorian Finney-Smith was asked about Doncic’s mentality for the playoffs. Without skipping a beat to think, with a smirk on his face, the Lakers swingman who spent five years with the Slovenian star in Dallas, gave Redick a sort of a warning. “I already know bro is going to come with the juice. He loves the moment. Knowing him, probably got to calm him down, too, because he’s going to be barking. It’s going to be exciting.”

If history tells us anything, Luka Doncic lives for this kind of smoke. Talking to the media, Luka kept it chill but loaded with intent: “I like big games, playoffs is fun time.”

Dorian also added, “At certain points in the game, he just feels like nobody can guard him. Even if Coach telling us to put certain guys in the action, Luka don’t care. Sometimes he’s just yelling, ‘Just bring ’em Doe.’ Don’t care who it is. Sometimes he just gets in a mode where you know whoever in front of him is just a cone.”

Fun for him, sure. For opponents? Absolute chaos. Let’s rewind to Game 2 of last year’s Western Conference Finals. Clock winding down, game on the line, and Luka—cool as ever—pulls up and buries a three right over Rudy Gobert. Then comes the scream. Not just at Rudy, but at the entire Wolves crowd. One dagger that silenced the whole arena and gave Dallas a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Now he’s back, same energy, same target. “I like to play pick-and-roll. I like to get a center on me—that’s what I’ve been doing since I came into the league.” Translation? He’s hunting Gobert again. And if you’re Minnesota, that’s a very uncomfortable déjà vu. Scary hours ahead.

Then, Luka Doncic single-handedly sent the Timberwolves packing in just five games. He averaged 32.4 points and nearly ten rebounds in the West Finals series, and the Minnesota team could do nothing about it. This year, the uniform has changed for the Slovenian Star, but the expectations have not.

Heading into the playoffs, JJ Redick confirmed that he is planning on seeking guidance from Luka’s experience against the Wolves to gain an edge in the first round. “There are nuances to what teams are trying to do against certain opponents.” The head coach said. But while there are no doubts about Luka’s production on the court, the Lakers seem slightly concerned about his behavior.

So, DFS reminded his team that they might need to occasionally calm Luka down in the playoffs, as the games will be way more intense and physical than the regular season. One small mistake could put an early end to the Lakers’ season. Of course, that might also put a stain on Adam Silver’s recent claim.

Adam Silver credits Luka Doncic trade for NBA’s spiked ratings as Lakers star fancies his chances in the playoffs

The Lakers have been elite since Luka’s arrival, going 18-10 with him with a 64.2 winning percentage. No team would prefer facing them in the playoffs because since the trade, the 26-year-old point guard has averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists. So, if the Lakers stay healthy, they might end up lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy because they can efficiently disperse the scoring duty across Austin Reaves and LeBron James.

But apart from the Lakers, Luka’s trade to LA has also been a huge blessing for the league. Earlier this season, there were major concerns about NBA’s ratings taking a hit due to lack of viewership. However, Adam Silver recently confirmed on Pat McAfee’s show that things are back on the rise, “There were a bunch of factors that led to our ratings being down early on… Essentially post All-Star, the ratings picked up a lot. In fact, to end up just down 2% for the season from where we came from, the ratings have to be up significantly.

“I think you saw tremendous competition around the league… Healthy stars. A trade that attracted a lot of attention, a bunch of things happened in the league and generated a lot of interest.”

Dorian too agrees that Luka is certainly an entertaining aspect in the Lakers locker room for his individual playing style. “He’s smiling on the court and off the court, talking a lot of trash on the bench or with whatever fans he’s picking out that’s yelling at him, and it’s exciting.”

Yes, Luka moving to arguably the biggest NBA franchise to team up with a superstar like LeBron James really did wonders for the league’s ratings. Also, the tough playoff race in the West kept the viewers glued to their screens till the final game. Surely, Silver would be hoping for this trend to continue, and the longer Luka and the Lakers stay in the playoffs, it will continue to benefit the ratings.