NBA Twitter credits Brian Windhorst for Luka Doncic's Game 4 improvement

In sports, mastering the mental game is just as important as the physical one. Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" epitomizes this: Bryant was skilled, but it was his unrelenting pursuit of becoming better that made him an NBA legend. 

The mental game helped the Dallas Mavericks make it all the way to the NBA Finals as much as the mismatches they exposed on the court. The Mavericks powered their way to the championship series with heroic efforts from the backcourt tandem of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but Dallas began to unravel against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. 

Irving, battling the curse of Lucky the Leprechaun, hardly made an impact through the first two games. In Game 3, the blame shifted to Doncic.

The Celtics spent a majority of Game 3 hunting Doncic, who seemed to be a mere traffic cone on defense. After three games, Doncic was allowing a 67.7 percent blow-by rate on drives, the worst in the past ten years.

Doncic’s efforts — or lack thereof — were highlighted by his frequent outbursts at the officiating crew. Doncic fouled out in the final minutes of the game, erasing any hope of a Mavericks comeback win. Instead, Boston took a daunting 3-0 series lead. 

ESPN NBA analyst Brian Windhorst offered a sharp, blunt assessment of Doncic's Game 3 performance following the game. The impassioned criticism from Windhorst, who is typically more measured and mild-mannered, spread throughout the NBA.

"If Luka's ever gonna be a winner coming out of [the Mavericks] tunnel here, he is going to have to use what's happened in this Finals as a learning experience," Windhorst said. "His defensive performance is unacceptable. He is a hole on the court, the Celtics are attacking him, they are ahead in this series because they have attacked him defensively."

"He is costing his team because of how he treats the officials," Windhorst added. 

NBA analyst Brian Windhorst credited for Luka Doncic turnaround

Doncic played with more intensity and urgency in Game 4. It was a clear response to his failures in Game 3 — and perhaps to Windhorst’s comments.

In Game 4, Doncic displayed effort on the defensive end alongside his teammates. The Mavericks effectively neutralized Boston and avoided a sweep with a final score of 122-84. The Mavericks' dominant 38-point win is the third-largest margin of victory in NBA Finals history. Doncic was responsible for 29 of those points. 

After Game 4, Windhorst was straightforward in his analysis of Doncic, noting his marked improvement that bought the Mavericks another chance in Game 5.

"He played a brilliant game," Windhorst said. "It was exactly the kind of performance they needed from their leader.”

“He's the best player in this series,” Windhorst added. “He was the best player on the floor tonight.”

Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd emphasized that Doncic was his usual self in Game 4, bristling at the maelstrom of criticism against his star player from Game 3. 

“He was Luka. He’s been Luka,” Kidd said, h/t NBA.com. “There wasn’t a different Luka out there. He played at a high level. He was great. He’s been great. He’s one of the best players in the world. As much as we want to criticize, he’s a hell of a player.”

NBA fans have credited Windhorst for inspiring Doncic’s efforts in the Mavericks’ Game 4. Hopefully, that’s not the case. 

No player should need inspiration from an analyst to show effort in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant surely wouldn’t.

Here’s a look at some of the social media reactions to Windhorst’s coverage of Doncic.

The NBA Finals returns to Boston for Game 5 on Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Doncic and the Mavericks will look to cut their deficit to 3-2 with a win, and bring the series back to Dallas for a chance to tie things up.