Luka Doncic says being the underdog motivates him as much as trash-talking in response to the Dallas Mavericks being the underdogs against the Phoenix Suns.
The game 7 of the western conference semi-finals saw number 1 ranked Phoenix Suns take on 4th seed Dallas Mavericks. This tie of the play-off series has been one of the most hard-fought, and action packed encounters, with relentless back-and-forth action keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.
Unsurprisingly, the Phoenix Suns were touted by the bookies, analysts, and fans alike as the favorites. The number one seed of the West did not look like their best version all throughout the series. They have been relatively inconsistent. But their status as the number one team in the conference made everyone think that they would turn up on game 7 and take the victory.
But the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic had other plans though. Having come back from behind twice to draw level in the series, the Mavs weren’t going to let their efforts slide. In the end they ran out comfortable winner 123-90. Although they were considered underdogs, the Mavs made easy work of their top seeded counterparts.
When asked about their status as underdogs, Doncic responded, “It is like trash-talking. It gets me fired up, it gets me going. I am very motivated by this.”
And motivated he was. Doncic was the leader in points, assists, and rebounds. In fact, there was a point in the match when he had the same number of points as the Suns.
Mavs coach Jason Kidd was equally vocal about being underdogs. “A lot of people said it would be a blowout,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said with a grin. ”They were right.” This will be the Dallas Mavericks first western conference final since 2011.
