NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: MAVERICKS VS. WARRIORS

May 18, 2022

Luka Doncic

Dallas Mavericks

Game 1: Postgame

Warriors 112, Mavericks 87

Q. Luka, what do you think about the job they did against you defensively, both Wiggins individually and then the different looks that they threw at you?

LUKA DONCIC: Great job. That's it. That's all I've got to say. They did a great job.

Q. Do you feel like you guys got as many good looks as you were getting in the Phoenix series? Was it just a matter of the shots not going down, or were there things you could do to be more productive on offense?

LUKA DONCIC: I mean, of course we can do things to be better. But I think in the first quarter we had a lot of open looks. Second one, too. But then in the second half we didn't.

I think in the first half we had great looks, but we couldn't make them, but not in the second one.

Q. Luka, I saw you walking off the court after the final buzzer and you had a bit of a smile on your face. What was going through your mind in that moment?

LUKA DONCIC: Nothing. Just walking off the court. That's it.

I mean, looking ahead to Game 2, of course. It's one game. That's what the Playoffs is about. If you lose by one or lose by 40, it's a loss. We've just got to get ready for Game 2 now.

Q. Luka, there were a couple points -- first of all, how is your face?

LUKA DONCIC: It's good. Makes me look tough.

Q. There were a couple points you looked like you were pulling at your right shoulder. Is everything all right there?

LUKA DONCIC: Yeah, I felt a little bit of pain when I shot it, pulled a hand. But it's okay, it's here behind. It's fine. I'll get some treatment and I'll be fine.

Q. In the second half did they throw anything different at you to disrupt your rhythm to only finish with two points at that point?

LUKA DONCIC: Yeah, they were doing a great job on me, especially in the second half. But I think I've got to be better. That's on me. As a leader I've got to be better for the whole group, so that's on me.

Q. You guys have faced two really good defenses so far through the first two rounds. Do you think this is going to be the toughest with the variety of defenders that they have, Draymond, Klay, Wiggins, different guys?

LUKA DONCIC: Of course this is going to be tough, it's the West Finals. Like I said yesterday, they're a championship team. They know what this is about. They've been through the bad and the good. It's going to be really tough. But we believe. Like I say, it's Game 1. Somebody got to get to four wins first. It's going to be a good series.

Q. Jason said you guys weren't surprised by all the different looks they threw at you, but still, is it unusual to see that many different types of defenses that they're breaking out just for even a possession or two?

LUKA DONCIC: I don't think so. I've faced those -- I've faced different kind of defenses a lot of times.

I think the one game against Charlotte, I never seen that many defenses on me. I remember we played. I didn't -- how do you say? I forgot the word. English is not my first language, so I get a pass.

Q. It's third, right?

LUKA DONCIC: No, it's fourth. But I wasn't surprised.

Q. Which game against Charlotte, this season?

LUKA DONCIC: Yeah, this season. They were playing zone at first and then box-and-one. It was a lot of different coverages.

Q. What in particular do you have to do in order to even this series up on Friday?

LUKA DONCIC: We've got to play better. That's it. We've got to play tougher. We've got to play better. Just like the Phoenix series. After Game 1 -- we've got to learn from there. Game 2 was the same as Game 1, so we've got to learn from that and we've got to come out and play harder and play better.

Q. Luka, you guys were relaxed before Game 1 and very confident. After losing tonight, what's your confidence level and the team's confidence level?

LUKA DONCIC: Same. Like I say, I said in the Phoenix series, we're going to believe. So the confidence is the same. It's tough to win every game, so some you're going to lose. But the confidence stays the same.

Q. You were very complimentary to Draymond and the way he can impact the game for Golden State. Tonight if the tracking stats are correct, you guys were 0-for-9 shooting threes when he was the primary defender. Is there something he did in that space to make it so difficult for you guys?

LUKA DONCIC: I mean, he's a great defender. He won the Defensive Player of the Year (2016-17). He organized the whole Warriors' defense. He's the one that talks a lot, moves the people around. So it's always tough to play against him offensively. But like I say, we got a couple great looks in the first half. We couldn't convert them, so I think we've got to be better and play better.

Q. You hit contested shots, tough shots on a regular basis. Tonight you didn't. Did you feel like you got looks that are, by your standards, good looks? Did you generate looks for yourself you were comfortable with?

LUKA DONCIC: I think some yes, some not. But if it goes in, I feel good about it. But today it didn't.

But I think the whole team, we didn't shoot the ball great. We were 22% from three. I think we have got to attack the paint more. We settled for threes a lot today, so we've got to attack the paint more.