Doncic's response? An absolute masterclass on the court, leading the Mavericks to a season-saving 122-84 victory. This win blocked the Boston Celtics from celebrating what would have been their record-breaking 18th championship right there on the American Airlines Center court.
Here are some of the standout moments:
- Dominant Performance: Doncic racked up 29 points and 5 assists in just 33 minutes, resting the entire fourth quarter in what became the third-most lopsided game in Finals history. He had 22 points in the paint, which was more than the entire Celtics team managed in the three quarters he played.
- Defensive Improvement: After struggling defensively in the first three games, Doncic had his best defensive performance of the Finals, forcing four turnovers and holding the Celtics to just 2-of-9 shooting when he was the primary defender.
- Poised Under Pressure: Known for letting his frustration with officiating affect his focus, Doncic made a public vow to improve this and his defense, which he followed through on, channeling his energy into his defensive efforts and his interactions with teammates.
"I think he made a few people eat their words in a healthy way," said Kyrie Irving, who scored 21 points and added 6 assists, snapping his personal 13-game losing streak to his former team.
The criticism that Doncic received after fouling out with 4:12 remaining in the Game 3 loss was mainly focused on his defense and his tendency to get distracted by the officiating. On Friday, he turned this around, showing immense growth and maturity.
"We were locked in, especially on the defense end," Doncic said. "We played with pace. It helped them. I'm here to help them in every way I can. We just got to play like that."
Doncic, who had taken great pride in his defensive improvement throughout the season, had struggled as the Celtics relentlessly hunted him on defense through the first three games of the series. However, he showed significant improvement in Game 4, forcing turnovers and demonstrating his defensive prowess.
"I think what you're seeing is him just taking accountability as best he can at this point in his life," Irving added. "He's a young person, still trying to figure it out. I give him that grace. Also, we have to give him a little tough love where we let him know and reiterate you got to stay off those [referees] a little bit."
Despite his relatively poor Game 3 performance, where he scored 27 points on 27 field goal attempts before fouling out, Doncic has had an outstanding playoff run. He joined an elite group of players – Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Larry Bird – by becoming the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 600 points, 150 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single postseason.
And Doncic isn't done yet. The Mavericks are still alive, aiming to become the first of 157 teams to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.
"Like I said at the beginning of the series, it's first to four," Doncic said. "We going to believe until the end. So we just got to keep going. I have big belief in this team that we can do it."
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