Chris Finch's lazy Luka Doncic take backfires horribly

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic / David Berding/GettyImages

On Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks officially punched their ticket to the 2024 NBA Finals with a Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.

Dallas responded beautifully to their unexpected Game 4 loss, and now they'll have the chance to play on the biggest stage, the NBA Finals.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving were phenomenal in Game 5 and all series long, and now they'll have the chance to prove they can hang with the mighty and feared Boston Celtics.

Chris Finch's lazy Luka Doncic take backfires horribly

Irving and Doncic each scored 36 points in the win, and before the game, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch made an interesting statement about Doncic and the Mavs that backfired horribly. When asked about Anthony Edwards' defense. Finch said, "he does a good job of getting through all those illegal screens they set for Luka."

Chris Finch on Edwards’ defense: “He does a good job of getting through all those illegal screens they set for Luka.”
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) May 30, 2024

First off, that statement going into Game 5 was extremely lazy considering how well Doncic had been playing all series long. Second off, the Timberwolves are notorious for using Rudy Gobert to set illegal screens, and they got away with plenty of them in their Game 4 win in Dallas.

Finch discounting Doncic's greatness with this statement before the game backfired horribly, and Doncic couldn't be stopped in Game 5. He was drilling tough shot after tough shot, and the Timberwolves had no answer for him and Irving.

Finch seemingly making an excuse for how Doncic was dominating his team in the first four games was an interesting approach, and it was only fitting that the Mavs got a vintage Luka game just a couple of hours later. It's expected for him to stand up for his guys if he believes there is bad officiating, but this take just wasn't it. Especially considering that it seemed like the officiating on Dallas' illegal screens in this series was fair from the outside looking in.

The Mavs are going to need Doncic and Irving to continue to play at an elite level for them to take down the Celtics, and they'll be ready for whatever Boston throws their way.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.