The 2022 Western Conference Finals are set. Many people believed that the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors would battle it out to win the West.
However, Sunday night, Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks put on a clinic on the road in one of the craziest game 7 performances I’ve ever seen from a team. That means the Warriors will now have home-court advantage.
Let’s take a look at the tall task of containing Luka Dončić.
The Golden State Warriors must find out a way to contain Mavericks’ superstar guard Luka Doncic. Here’s why it’s so difficult and how they may adjust.
Luka’s Greatness
Luka Dončić will be the face of the NBA for a very long time. The 23-year-old Slovenian has taken the league by storm. Already having iconic playoff moments, Luka is averaging more points per game in his playoff career so far than Michael Jordan.
He dismantled the Phoenix Suns who continued to switch lousy defenders and leave them on an island. He scored more points per game than Devin Booker, had more rebounds than Deandre Ayton, and more assists than Chris Paul.
Contain Luka or Role Players?
Golden State will have to decide what’s more important. Allowing Luka to score and shutting down the “others.” Or the alternative, trying to contain Luka and give up some monster scoring nights from “others.”
I expect to see Andrew Wiggins take the majority of this matchup.
One serious issue with Wiggins taking the challenge is the weight difference. Wiggins is listed at 194 pounds while Luka is listed at 230. You can see how physically dominant Luka can be, and after seeing Wigs in person he seems a lot more slender than he appears on TV.