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Supposed 'beef' remains between Doncic and Porzingis heading into Finals

Noah Weber
Noah Weber

The Smoking Cuban

Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis / Jonathan Bachman/GettyImages

The start of the 2024 NBA Finals is just a couple of days away, and Dallas Mavericks fans can't wait to see their team suit up in June for the first time since 2011, the year they won the NBA Finals.

A dominant game from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving helped close the Minnesota Timberwolves out in five games, and now they'll face their biggest test yet, the Boston Celtics.

There are plenty of storylines heading into this series, such as Kyrie Irving and Kristaps Porzingis returning to their old teams, and there may be some "beef" that remains between Doncic and Pozingis from the time they spent playing together in Dallas.

Supposed 'beef' remains between Doncic and Porzingis heading into Finals

According to former Mavericks wing Chandler Parsons, Porzingis is not liked in Dallas, and "Luka did not like playing with him, there is an actual beef there."

It was clear that there were some maturity issues for both Porzingis and Doncic during their brief partnership in Dallas, but if there are still hard feelings there, this is going to be even more of an entertaining series than anyone expected.

Porzingis' time in Dallas came to a close during the middle of the 2021-22 season when the Mavs traded him to the Washington Wizards, and the Mavericks ended up making the Western Conference Finals that season.

Porzingis was not liked by many fans at the time that he was dealt, and his disappearing act in the 2021 NBA Playoffs will never be forgotten. He played his role "out of spite," and he and Doncic never worked as well together as many expected.

It's unclear what Doncic and Porzingis' relationship looks like today, but according to Parsons, it doesn't seem like Porzingis is liked by Doncic or the Mavericks as a whole. This isn't new news, as there were reports that the duo didn't like each other from multiple seasons ago, and time will tell if there is still "beef" between them.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks throughout their 2024 NBA Finals matchup against Kristaps Porzingis and the Boston Celtics, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

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.