Before Wednesday’s 115-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the only Dallas Mavericks player who had played a game in the previous six days was point guard Luka Doncic, who started in Sunday’s All-Star game in Atlanta.
It was the second straight season Doncic was voted as an All-Star starter. And it indeed is a prestigious award.
“It’s just one of the great honors in our sport is to be voted an All-Star starter,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “There are some things that are greater honors – I guess winning MVP would be one, winning a championship would be another.
“But All-Star is one of those things as a youngster you dream about that kind of possibility. Look, where he grew up I’m not even sure he dreamed of it.”
Doncic, who is from Slovenia, always plays with a sense of purpose and style that makes it looks like he’s playing two or three plays ahead of everyone else.”
“It was fun,” Doncic said of his All-Star game experience. “There were a couple of fans – but not the whole arena — so it was different. But I had fun anyway.”
At times throughout Doncic’s career, some of his passes appear as though he has eyes in the back of his head. That’s part of his mantra.
“He makes the best of every situation like this,” Carlisle said. “He always looks like he’s having a blast. It’s a big deal.
“I’ve been involved in some All-Star games over the years, both as an assistant and as a head coach. You’re in the presence of the very, very best in the game and that’s something that you don’t forget.”
Hardaway, Wright, Hall of Fame: Former NBA guard Tim Hardaway Sr. and Villanova coach Jay Wright are among 14 people voted as finalists for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2021.
Hardaway played from 1989-2003 for the Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Mavs, Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers.
“Tim Hardaway Sr. was a great, great player,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We competed directly with him when I was in Indiana.
“When I was an assistant with the (Portland) Trail Blazers he was in his prime during those years and he was a big-time prime-time player for Miami. He’s very deserving of this honor.”
Meanwhile, Wright has a 485-186 won-loss record. He coached at Hostra from 1994-2001, and is currently with Villanova, where he’s coached since 2001.
“Jay Wright with two national championships,” Carlisle said. “And the record that he’s established at Villanova, that’s a no-brainer to me – everything that he’s accomplished.”
The Hall of Fame class of 2021 will be revealed on May 16 and inducted in September in Springfield, MA.
Mavs guard Jalen Brunson was the catalyst for Wright’s Villanova team that won NCAA titles in 2016 and ’18. And Hardaway’s son, Tim Hardaway Jr., has been a major sparkplug off the bench for the Mavs this season.
Popovich “survived” last year: Thursday will be a year since the NBA went on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, has Gregg Popovich adjusted to the new normal?
“I’m not sure I’ve adjusted,” the San Antonio Spurs coach said. “I’ve survived along with everybody else. I think it gave us all time to reflect on a myriad of topics, and probably one of the most obvious is that we realize how fortunate we are and how much misery there really is in the country.
“When you’ve got a lot of time to look at the news and to read article and read newspapers and read books, and it’s constantly there. The virus has been with us, amongst many other things over the last four years, and you realize the degree of just outright whether it’s injustice, whether it’s poverty – which obviously is connected to injustice. But the care for our children, the situation with our migrant workers, our frontline workers, our police forces, our fire departments, the disadvantaged people who are oppressed, I mean it was constant for this last year. Right in your face.”
Mavs have high density of games: Coach Rick Carlisle was succinct when asked what he expects from his team during the second half of the season.
“I expect there will be a lot of games in a short period of time,” Carlisle said. “That’s the No. 1 thing that I expect. Our goal is to take the momentum that we built up before the break and carry it into the second half. It won’t be easy.
“There’s going to be a high density of games, as I mentioned. Everybody is playing for something. Everybody really is competing hard this year in the league, so we’re going to have our hands full, but we’re really looking forward to the opportunity.”
Starting with Wednesday’s game against San Antonio, the Mavs are playing 38 games in 68 days, including 10 sets of back-to-backs.
Aldridge, Spurs part ways: The San Antonio Spurs and forward LaMarcus Aldridge have agreed to go their separate ways.
A native of Seagoville, Aldridge has been with the Spurs since the 2015-’16 season. But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich basically said on Wednesday that Aldridge has played his last game with San Antonio.
“We’ve mutually agreed to work out some opportunity for him that’ll be elsewhere,” Popovich said. “So he won’t be with the team moving forward.
“He’s been a great teammate. We just think this is a win-win for both LaMarcus and for the club.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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