Luka Doncic Doesn’t Take Timberwolves Threat Seriously, Confronts Reporter After Game 4

The Minnesota Timberwolves finally managed to get their first win of the Conference Finals, winning 105-100 against Luka Doncic and the Mavs in Game 4. What was supposed to be the next sweep of the WCF series turned out to be the wolf pack attacking without let up.

As the Dallas Mavericks have to visit the Target Center once again, a reporter asked Doncic what his mindset was for Game 5. The Slovenian superstar was clearly upset with the loss, as was seen from his reply. “We gotta win 4 games. What mindset? We gotta win 1 more game, that’s it.”

He also said, “It’s the first to 4. No matter if you win in 4 or 7. Just gotta win 4.”

That part is very much true. The Mavericks still hold a 3-1 advantage over the Wolves. If they can win in Game 5, it would still be Boston vs Dallas in the NBA Finals. However, if tonight was any sign, there is no doubt that Anthony Edwards and Co. are not letting go of their chance to get to the Finals.

Although Doncic looked ready to snap at the reporter, the star guard did not fail to take the responsibility for the loss tonight. “I think that game is on me. I just didn’t give enough energy,” he said. As the night ended, Doncic scored his sixth triple-double of the night – 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Unfortunately, his shooting struggled. No. 77 went 7-of-21 from the floor and had the worst plus-minus of the night at -13, joining P.J. Washington.

But know who did give more than enough energy? The Timberwolves.

Minnesota switched up their defensive assignments as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving had one of the worst shooting nights of the postseason

The first three games of the Conference Finals saw Anthony Edwards on Irving while Jaden McDaniels took on Luka Doncic. However, this time, McDaniels chased Kyrie. Edwards, for his part, did a splendid job of defending the 5x All-Star. The result was Luka and Kyrie going 33.3% from the field. Their average FG% this postseason is 48.2% for Irving and 42.6% for Doncic. So it’s safe to say that tonight wasn’t a great one.

The 2018 EuroLeague Champion was 5-of-15 from the floor, with ANT as his primary defender. Therefore, he took tonight’s loss all the more personally. But his running mate, Irving, didn’t let him shoulder the whole blame. “He’s not alone in this. I expect him to say something like that, especially knowing how much he cares and how much he wants to win and how much he wants to lead our group.” Clearly, the star duo of Dallas has gotten to know each other better.

At the end of the day, though, the only thing that matters is the winner. And tonight, it was the Timberwolves. Then again, as Luka Doncic said, “It’s the first to 4″ who gets to the Finals. Here’s to a certain blockbuster matchup in Target Center next!

Before you go, another matter foremost in our mind is about our beloved Inside the NBA crew. While many are sure they are going to be disbanded, Shaq’s confidante and ex-agent, Leonard Armato, thinks otherwise. To know more about his comments, watch this video.