“Why Are You Dribbling 10,000 Times”: Stephen A. Smith Blasts Luka Doncic for Not Trusting Kyrie Irving

Dallas’ 3rd straight loss against Boston last night might have opened a whole new can of worms. Unable to do much on the defensive end and frustrated by the officiating, Luka Doncic put up one of his worst playoff performances and even got fouled out nearly five minutes before the game ended. But what might have hurt the Mavs the most was that Luka, being the ball-dominant guard that he is, refused to defer to Kyrie who seemed to finally hit the right rhythm. Veteran analyst Stephen A. Smith was sure to let Doncic know of his huge mistake that might have cost his team the title.

Discussing the Slovenian’s disappointing performance, the ESPN analyst expressed his frustration on The Stephen A. Smith Show. He was upset about Luka’s decision-making. “Didn’t you see Kyrie Irving was in his bag? Didn’t you see Kyrie was flowing? Why are you holding the ball? Why are you dribbling 10,000 times?” Stephen A. bombarded him with tough questions. While Luka was struggling from the floor yesterday, Kyrie for the first time in this series was having an amazing game and everything was falling for him.

Kyrie was all over Boston’s defense. He was getting to his spots, hitting the three-pointers that he missed in the first two games, and going to the free-throw line. Regardless, Luka continued to be a “ball hog” and didn’t pass it to Kyrie and let him take charge too often. “Kyrie Irving was somebody you believed in,” Stephen A. expressed. Being the only player on the team that has won a Championship, Kai has proven experience of producing at such a big stage. If Luka had let him take control last night, he might even have stayed in the game longer, as there wouldn’t have been so much pressure on him. Who knows, the end outcome could have been different too.

Was last night Luka Doncic’s worst playoff performance?

After watching Luka get fouled out last night, even Kendrick Perkins did not hold back on his criticism. “Luka f**ked off the game. He drained his team emotionally.” Perk claimed on the Road Trippin’ Podcast. Even though Luka finished with 27 points, KP called it his worst playoff performance. And Stephen A. was also in partial agreement with his co-worker’s statement, “It was in the ballpark.”

Shooting 11 of 27 might still have been acceptable for the Mavs. But what hurt his team was Luka’s defensive showcasing. “His defense was horrible,” Smith claimed. He was tasked with guarding Sam Hauser, a pure shooter. But Luka left him open on the corner multiple times, which led to Hauser hitting three shots from beyond the arc. Because Joe Mazzulla took advantage of Luka’s slipups, he was then frustrated on the offensive end.

Boiling up to the point that Luka started yelling and throwing tantrums at his people. It all might have eventually led to him getting fouled out. While it won’t show on the stat sheet, Luka’s mistakes did prove to be very costly. Do you agree?

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about Caitlin Clark’s meteoric rise to stardom. Keep checking this space for more such updates.