After defeating the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the second round, Luka Doncic was heralded as the best player left in the NBA playoffs. Of course, it was going to be difficult for him to live up to that since he is now going up against Steph Curry in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors are a dynasty and while they’ve taken a couple of years off from contending, there is no reason to believe they can’t win the title this season.

Last night, the Warriors showed exactly why they are the best team in the league right now as they blew out the Mavericks in Game 1. Doncic was held to just 21 points and for the most part, the Mavs were completely anemic on offense. It was the inverse of what happened against the Suns, and now, Doncic has to answer for it.

Harry How/Getty Images

According to reporter Callie Caplan on Twitter, Doncic simply said “I gotta be better, that’s not me. I gotta be better for the whole group.” Doncic realizes he played uncharacteristically bad and that next time out, he will be much better. Unfortunately, it’s also his teammates who need to be better, which is completely out of his control. 

If Doncic and the Mavs do not get this series under control, this could be a quick four-game or five-game series. Hopefully, they can make it a lot more interesting than that.