If Luka Doncic eventually helps lead the Lakers to their 18th championship, the Celtics may regret how thoroughly they dismantled the Mavericks last spring.
Dallas returned to TD Garden on Thursday night for the first time since the NBA Finals, securing a 127-120 victory over Boston. However, the aftershocks of that Finals series are still being felt—not just in Dallas, but across the entire NBA.
The jaw-dropping trade that sent Doncic to Los Angeles in exchange for Anthony Davis early Sunday morning is a direct consequence of how decisively Boston dominated Dallas in the championship series.
Had the Finals been competitive, it’s unlikely the Mavericks would have even considered trading their franchise star. But the series was anything but close. The Celtics bulldozed their way through the playoffs, leaving no doubt about their superiority. If Dallas had managed to keep things tight, they might have convinced themselves that a few roster tweaks and the experience gained by their young core would be enough to mount another title run.
But it wasn’t close. Apart from Boston’s lackluster performance in Game 4, the Mavericks were thoroughly outmatched. More than just losing the series, Doncic was exposed.
The entire basketball world watched as Boston relentlessly targeted him on defense, exploiting his lack of speed and defensive engagement. These weaknesses had always been present, but under the bright lights of the Finals, they became impossible to ignore.
Doncic, who had carried an otherwise mediocre Mavericks squad to the Western Conference title, suddenly became the scapegoat for their failure. Head coach Jason Kidd had to step in and defend his embattled superstar.
“For whatever reason, there has been some personal attacks on him, but he will learn from them and he will be better when he comes back from it,” Kidd said between Games 3 and 4.
While the rest of the league moved on with the start of the 2024-25 season, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison couldn’t. Like Harry Frazee trading Babe Ruth, he couldn’t shake the Finals loss. Concerns over Doncic’s fitness had been simmering, but they weren’t serious enough to justify such a drastic move this quickly.
Harrison panicked. If he truly wanted to move Doncic, he could have fetched a far better return—possibly from another team. Even if he was dead set on acquiring Anthony Davis, he should have extracted more draft assets from the Lakers. Now, Dallas is betting its future on a fragile Davis and the unpredictability of Kyrie Irving. If this experiment fails, the Mavericks could be stuck in the lottery for years while Doncic continues to shine as an All-Star.
For the Celtics, none of this matters. After Thursday’s game, they probably won’t think much about Dallas. But Doncic? That’s a different story.
He’ll return to Boston with his new Lakers teammates in just over a month. By defeating the Mavericks last season, the Celtics reclaimed their place as the NBA’s most decorated franchise. But by obliterating them in the process, they may have handed their biggest rival the keyto its next championship.
