The atmosphere at the American Airlines Center was different on Wednesday. It reeked of excitement. It reeked of pain. Dallas was desperately waiting for their favorite boy to come back, and he did. Only this time, the Texan cowboy hat and the ‘Howdy’ was missing. There was swag that smelled like Los Angeles. So, did Luka Doncic truly turn into a Laker? Can Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving, and others ever forget what Doncic meant to the team and what the city and the team meant to him?

“Hvala za vse.” Thanks for everything. Every seat in AAC and every heart in Dallas ached as the jumbotron flashed with a tribute video. Luka Magic- that 19-year-old boy who left Slovenia to follow his dream into the NBA. The boy who could’ve become the next Dirk Nowitzki or even greater sat on the bench, red-eyed. He tried to hide his tears with a towel, and kept wiping his face. But hey, he holds too many memories in the arena. His first win as a Maverick, and now his first win in Purple and Gold.

Mavericks HC Jason Kidd has an idea for angry fans

Luka played like he was on a mission, the Mavs Nation on his back as if he was still one of them. He single-handedly destroyed Jason Kidd’s squad, finishing with 45 points. Now the question is, does this kind of performance make the Mavs regret the organization’s decision to give him up? Well, the head coach has an answer for such a pressing question.

Speaking to the media, Kidd said, “No. I have a job to do, and that’s to coach the players that are in that locker room. We’ve gone through the groceries, right? So the guys in that locker room — I got to put them in a better position to win.” Simply put, dwelling on the past isn’t an option when the play-in is around the corner. Jason Kidd knows that he didn’t do the job of putting his team in a winning position vs. the LA Lakers on Wednesday. Most importantly, the squad is slowly getting healthy and getting off minute restrictions. Is this filling the coach with hope? Surely.

Moreover, the Dallas Mavericks have two games left in the regular season, after which they face the Sacramento Kings in the play-in. So, that is the only thing Jason Kidd wants to focus on. Most importantly, “Understanding all the emotions and all the attention on this game, this game is over. There’s nothing we can do. He’s [Doncic] not coming back as a Mav. He’s with the Lakers. And so we have to move forward. And that’s what we’ve done.”

However, the 52-year-old head coach isn’t leaving without giving the angry fans a solution to ease their pain. Thus, Jason Kidd added: “I think time and winning — I think that’s what it comes down to. And the Mavs are used to winning here of late. And this isn’t a dig at anybody. But we’ve only won one championship as a Maverick. And so I understand that that’s the next goal — is to win number two.”

The HC is optimistic that with the force he has in the locker room, despite Luka’s absence, it could be a championship-winning team. So what if 2024 wasn’t the year? And so what if 2025 is also not their year? 2026 or 2027 could be. So, leaving behind the sadness of Doncic’s trade, the Mavericks have moved on. And Jason Kidd’s only request to the fans is that they too should move on.

Meanwhile, Doncic’s ex-teammate Naji Marshall foresaw the cry fest that was unleashed ahead of the big matchup. According to him, it was brave of Luka to come back and perform at the highest level.

Naji Marshall makes emotional confession on Luka Doncic’s Dallas return

Well, the Slovenian star admitted that he felt he couldn’t play the game when the tribute was on. Despite the emotional odds, the 26-year-old put up a stellar performance. Moreover, for Naji Marshall, the fans and their constant cheers for Doncic made sense. Speaking to the media after the game, Naji said: “[For Luka] to just come back and do that, so shout out to him. I mean, I guess those are his fans, so…” The fans and their sentiments were surely at a peak because their favorite boy was back. Irrespective of what jersey he wore on Wednesday, Dallas was there for Luka.

Meanwhile, Naji Marshall admitted that he knew there was a chance Luka would be crying in the arena. “I already know it’d be like that. Like I said, man, the city — Luka means so much to the city. you guys mean so much to him. So I just knew when he come back, he’s just a generational player like that. I know people love to see. So I just knew it was gonna be like this. I knew he was gonna cry. So shout out to Luka again, man — he did his thing.”

Ultimately, the scoreboard reflected more than just numbers. It carried the weight of memories, emotions, and change. As Luka Doncic shines under the Los Angeles spotlight, Jason Kidd stands firm, ready to lead with the pieces he has. Dallas must now look ahead with hope, not behind with heartache, because every goodbye makes space for a new beginning.