Luka Doncic Continues To Build On Early Legacy

No matter how the Western Conference Finals end, one thing is clear -- this has been Luka Doncic's breakthrough moment.

Every young NBA star has that moment, and the 2022 NBA Playoffs have been a clear "next step" for the future NBA MVP.

Even when Golden State seemed to have figure out the formula for stopping the 23-year-old, Luka bounced right back and continued to try and will he Mavericks to a win over the next two games.

Get ready, because this is about to be a tradition on the NBA moving forward.

Doing Everything In Dallas

Doncic heads into Game 4 with his Mavs down 3-0, and all the pressure in the world falling on his shoulders. Averaging 38 points per game in elimination games, no one has put up more points when their back has been against the wall like he has so far over his playoff career.

He's averaged 34.0 points per game against Golden State, 32.6 against the Suns, and 29 in the three games he was healthy enough to play against the Jazz.

It's not just his scoring that's been off the charts either, averaging 9.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists this postseason as well.

Le's be honest though, to keep the Mavs alive he'll need to put up huge numbers in that scoring column if they ever want to have a shot. He's already had at least 40 in back-to-back games, and with the Mavs on the doorstep of elimination, it's hard to fade Luka heading into tonight. Golden State was successful in slowing him down in Game 1, but they've had little luck since with those back-to-back 40's coming on 53 and 48 percent shooting. He shot just 33 percent in Game 1.

Dallas has already exceeded expectations this postseason though, and any result now will be seen as a learning experience for a team that took major strides late in the season under new head coach Jason Kidd.

Luka is the future in Dallas, and it's no secret they'll need to be aggressive in adding some help around their franchise player. There's also no doubt their franchise is in good hands with Doncic as the centerpiece.