“Luka Doncic is the most decisive player under pressure in the NBA playoffs. He learned it from the most successful team in football,” headlined the Wall Street Journal this weekend in a review of the Slovenian point guard’s Madrid past.
“That snarling killer instinct and comeback ability he showed in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals is, as Doncic explained, a direct result of Real Madrid‘s merciless philosophy: victory is the only acceptable outcome,” wrote journalists Robert O’Connell and Joshua Robinson in the business daily.
Luka Doncic trah talking everybody, what words did he have for Snoop Dogg ?
The article recalls that Doncic arrived at Real Madrid at the age of 13 and that he made his first-team debut at the age of 16.
“By then, Doncic was immersed in a culture that would change him forever,” it explains. It is a winning spirit that has taken him to his first NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks.
“These days, Doncic is doing what is expected of him. In true Real Madrid fashion, Doncic refuses to let the Mavericks lose,” it was said.
Endless praise for Doncic
The WSJ also echoes Doncic‘s response at a press conference during the playoffs when asked about physical issues: “I’d have to be unable to walk to miss these games. It’s part of my madridista DNA.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times has tried to understand, seeking the perspective of coach Jason Kidd, the secret of Doncic‘s greatness.
Kidd believes that Doncic has a very high basketball IQ, can shoot from anywhere on the court, and there is no one like him when it comes to passing, which is why he deserves to rival current legends such as LeBron James.
Kidd explained to journalist Sam Amick how he motivates Doncic: “If you want to get Luka talking, bring up Real Madrid. If you want to annoy him, talk about Barcelona. If you know the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, then you know how to poke the bear.”
For its part, the Boston Globe, the newspaper of the rival city in these NBA Finals, headlines its article: “Unravelling the legend of Luka Doncic, the prodigious superstar of the Mavericks“.
The journalist Amin Touri, after collecting the opinions on Doncic of players – such as Kristaps Porzingis – who are familiar with the Slovenian’s Merengue past, ends by stating that “the reality is that the Mavericks have the best player in this series and, depending on who you ask, in the world.”
