The Dallas Mavericks’ outstanding player, Luka Doncic, amazed the basketball world with several exceptional performances during the 2023-24 NBA season. The 25-year-old’s incredible skills on the court helped the Mavericks defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals.
However, in the NBA Finals, Doncic, who was recently criticized by a former NBA champion, couldn’t overcome Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, who won their 18th championship at the conclusion of the series. Stirring up controversy, a former Boston Celtics coach claimed that Doncic outperformed Tatum in the NBA Finals.
During a recent episode of the Club 520 podcast, former professional Celtics coach Evan Turner shared a hilarious story from the 2023-24 NBA finals. Turner revealed that during the finals, Tatum asked him, “Is Luka better than me?” Instead of saying “yes,” Turner responded, “Damn near.”
Evan Turner: We were up by like 10 or 12 and [Jeff Teague] said, ‘[Jaylen Brown] and [Jayson Tatum] are getting rid of this man,’ I said, ‘In clutch, if it gets close, we’re not going to win.
Jeff Teague: Mind you he’s a coach.
Evan Turner: It gets closer, they call a timeout. I think they were down by two.
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Jeff Teague: [Turner said], ‘He’s about to do that, hit that step-back, and he’s going to hit the game-winner … We go in there, and Tatum was like, ‘Luka better than me?’ [Evan Turner] was like, ‘Damn near.
Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic Face Off In The 2023-24 NBA Finals
In the 2023-24 NBA finals, basketball fans witnessed an amazing competition between the duos Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving against Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. In the first game, Doncic scored 30 points, one assist, and ten rebounds. Tatum scored 16 points, five assists, and 11 rebounds. The Slovenian basketball player dominated the second game with a triple-double of 32 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds, while Tatum scored 18 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds.
During the third game, Doncic scored 27 points, six assists, and six rebounds, while Tatum scored 31 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Doncic led the fourth game with 29 points, five assists, and five rebounds, as Tatum scored 15 points, three assists, and five rebounds. In the series’ final game, Doncic scored 28 points, five assists, and 12 rebounds. Tatum was the dominating force in the final game, scoring 31 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds.
