Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks head into the 2021-22 NBA Conference Finals aiming to prove they are not here by coincidence. The Mavs pulled off a shock by reaching this stage, but now they have an even bigger challenge ahead of them.
After leaving the No.1 seeded Suns on the way, now they have to take on another strong contender in the Warriors. It will certainly be another huge test for Doncic, who has recently proven why the hype around him is correct.
The Slovenian star outplayed Phoenix all by himself, silencing Devin Booker's trash talk and leaving Chris Paul empty-handed for another year. Now he'll face the likes of Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, but he seems more worried about Draymond Green.
Luka Doncic believes Draymond Green is the key to the Warriors
While Steph usuallly takes much of the credit for the Warriors' success, the team also owe much of its results to Green. Doncic knows Draymond is a tough defender to face in this stage of the season, as he even believes he's the real key to the Warriors.
"Obviously, Klay [Thompson] and Steph [Curry] are incredible offensive guys, but I think the key to the Warriors’ team is Draymond. He’s just unbelievable. I really respect him and everything he does," Doncic said, per Tim McMahon of ESPN.
This season made clear how important Green is for Steve Kerr and company, as during his months off the floor the team lacked the consistency it had at the beginning, when he was healthy.
Warriors GM Bob Myers doubts the team would be here if it weren't for Jordan Poole
Doncic is not the only one who sees other players than Curry as the key to the Warriors' performance this season. General manager Bob Myers claims the team may have not made it this far without Jordan Poole.
"We saw the potential. But when we Draft players [late in the first round], realistically it’s really hard to know where it’s going to go. He’s been great, and I don’t know if we’d be where we are without him," Myers told Mike Medina of NBA.com.
"It’ll be interesting to see where it all keeps going. It’s a great experience, but he’s never been in the playoffs before this year. That’s what you want from any young player — to taste the playoffs and get a sense of it. A lot of players play a long career and don’t get this far. For him to be this young and get an opportunity, it’s really very valuable."
It's certainly been a great ride for the Warriors, but the job is far from done. They've been waiting for this for a long time, and now they want to make sure they finish the season with another trophy.
