Former Celtics coach tells Jayson Tatum that Luka Doncic was "damn near" better than him

Luka Doncic has captivated fans with his unique playstyle during his time in the NBA. He has a fluid style of play, slowing the game down around him while remaining quick enough to get to his spots on the floor.

Doncic is fresh off his second-straight season averaging 30 points or more, posting 33.9 PPG, 9.8 APG and 9.2 RPG. Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals, where they met up against the Boston Celtics.

After Boston's win over the Mavericks, former Celtics guard Jeff Teague told a humorous story on Thursday's episode of the Club 520 Podcast, attesting to Doncic's dominance.

Evan Turner, Thursday's guest on the show, said: "We were up by like 10 or 12 and [Jeff Teague] said, '[Jaylen Brown] and [Jayson Tatum] are getting rid of this man,' I said, 'In clutch, if it gets close, we're not going to win.

"Mind you he's a coach," Jeff Teague said laughingly, and Turner continued the story: "It gets closer, they call a timeout. I think they were down by two." Teague joined the conversation, saying: "[Evan Turner said], 'He's about to do that, hit that step-back and he's going to hit the game-winner ... We go in there and [Jayson Tatum] was like, 'Luka better than me?' [Evan Turner] was like, 'Damn near.'"

The Mavericks forward knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer in Boston's first matchup with Dallas in the 2020-21 season. Dallas won the game 110-107 and Luka Doncic finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, outscoring both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the game.

Charles Barkley defends Luka Doncic against NBA critics

In an appearance on the Bill Simmons Podcast, Charles Barkley defended the Mavericks star against criticisms during the 2024 NBA Finals.

Doncic was one of the few bright spots for the Mavericks but still faced criticism for his defensive effort despite dealing with a knee injury.

"You see how quickly they turned on [Luka Doncic] in the Finals. Luka was the only reason they were in the Finals," Barkley argued. "After Game 2, they're like, 'Luka can't play defense' ... I'm like, 'Wait a minute, he's the only reason they're in the Finals.'" [50:21]

Doncic's Mavericks have reloaded nicely as they eye a return to the Finals, adding Klay Thompson, Quinten Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie so far this offseason.