When the season began, few predicted that the Dallas Mavericks would advance to the Western Conference Finals. Luka Doncic expressed gratitude for the opportunity to be on that stage during the team’s morning shootaround at Target Center prior to Game 1 of the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Never take it for granted, like Kai said, especially in the West,” Doncic said. “The West has been stacked these last couple of years, and it’s insane. Anyone can win against anyone. So, I really appreciate being here for the second time in three years. It’s a blessing, and we just have to keep going.”

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of game six of the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports.
The Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets, the incumbent NBA champions, in the Western Conference semifinals. Doncic enjoys the opportunity to compete against such a talented squad, with the potential to go to the NBA Finals at stake.

“Great team. It’s going to be a great atmosphere here. It’s always tough to play here,” Doncic said. “They have an amazing crowd… We know how good they are. So I think it’s going to be a really fun matchup.”

Doncic continues to power through a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness, maintaining a probable designation on the injury report. He averaged 24.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in six games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When asked about his current status, he stated, “I’m good.” When asked how much progress he’s made in his recovery while having a few days off, Doncic explained how he isn’t going to know until he’s on the court in the game. “I don’t know. I don’t know. We’ll see today, honestly,” he said. “Didn’t do much. Just a couple of things. All day, just rest [and] treat. That’s about it.”

The Mavericks will face the NBA’s greatest defense from the regular season, which has only improved in postseason play. Jaden McDaniels will be the primary on-ball defender, with Rudy Gobert protecting the rim.

“When you asked me about that top three, I forgot about McDaniels. I told you, some people are going to be pissed, but I forgot about him,” Doncic said. “But he’s definitely in top three. He’s been doing incredible defensively. He has long [arms], he can jump. So he’s locked in, and it’s going to be tough to go against him.”

Dallas must find a way to slow down Anthony Edwards, whom Doncic describes as having “unbelievable” brilliance on both ends. In 11 postseason games, the Timberwolves superstar averaged 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.

“Unbelievable player, on both sides, doing all the little things to help his team win. But unbelievable talent, obviously,” Doncic said. “Athletically, we’re similar. We’ve done the same. But, nah, I’m just kidding. He’s an unbelievable player. He’s still young, what, 22? That’s it. And you can see he’s been built for this and he’s been amazing to watch all the time.”

The Mavericks benefited from adding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford to their roster after getting Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dante Exum in the previous year. Doncic stressed the group’s confidence, even though not all of the players had been with the team for more than a few months. 

“We just knew, no matter what happens, we got to stay together. That’s been kind of our motto, just to go through everything together, stay together no matter what,” Doncic explained. “We’ve been together five months, always been very, very confident, so that didn’t change after this series.”

Watch Doncic’s full shootaround interview in the embedded video below.