Chants of “Luka is the worst!” rang out. throughout Paycom Arena as Thursday night's Game 2 drew to a close. Throughout the first two games of this series, starting with Game 1, fans have been frustrating Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, perhaps going too far.
The crowd at Paycom Center erupted into very loud cries of “Luka sucks.” He was interacting with fans during this game. Usually not a good strategy for your opponent. pic.twitter.com/sqA1oagMqh
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 10, 2024
Read more: Dallas Mavericks use hot shooting in Game 2 to tie with OKC Thunder: 3 game-changing plays
Doncic is used to heckling, and usually likes to use it, telling the media after the game, “That's great for me. I love it. There was a guy courtside, my family. “I don't like that, dude.” You're an adult, you can't do that. But I didn't do anything, it's just, it's weird coming to my family. It's a kind of nut. ”
Little things that happened in Game 1 — fans throwing the ball away while Doncic was trying to inbound, jeers and trash-talking him and Irving — seemed to intensify in Game 2. After Game 2, Irving went on a lengthy rant about: He was as calm as anyone in Dallas.
“Yeah, the fan threw the ball away from Luka…and he didn't even make eye contact with Luka, and Luka was very unfazed, like he was very calm about it, And when a fan does something like that, that's when I step in as a teammate and say, “What are you doing?'' I tell him, “What are you doing? ” I asked. This is not about you right now. You're not wearing a thunder blue shirt either. You're trying to differentiate yourself here. ” Irving continued: “Yeah, I know, you know, that’s the generation we’re in. Everybody’s trying to be talked about in an NBA game instead of focusing on the players and the job at hand. So when you do that to me, my teammates, of course I'm going to stand up… It was the same guys there, different guys jeering, but that's what motivates us. They hardly know.”
Last night, as Irving was walking to the locker room, he said: quoted words The line “This is very Oklahoma, I'll tell you that” is open to interpretation, but it certainly seems to be referring to how the fans treated him and his team.
This extends outside the arena as there was quite a bit of negative press surrounding Doncic after Game 1. It wouldn't be surprising if he saw that and took it to heart, as OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP before him.
Either way, Doncic and Irving take comfort in the fact that they can tie the series and take this series home. “We know how to quiet the crowd and we continue to be physical,” Irving said. “If we keep making baskets, we can get back at him by the end of the game in the fourth quarter.”
Game 3 will be a quick turnaround, starting Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Read more: Dallas Mavericks forward calls out anonymous reports on superstar Luka Doncic
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