Dallas Mavericks Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki knows the feeling of losing in the NBA Finals. When he made it for the first time in 2006, they lost to Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in six games, and he had to wait five more years to exact his revenge and eventually win it all.
Luka Doncic is going through something similar, as the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics in five games last season. And as they gear up for the 2024-25 campaign, Dirk Nowitzki offered one piece of advice to his former teammate.
“Well, just keep doing what he’s doing,” Nowitzki said about Doncic during the DLLS Sports’ Mavs podcast. “It’s good sometimes to get a little disappointment to try again to motivate you and push you to work harder.”
“He’s an incredible player, playing at the highest level. He’s MVP-caliber every year. Stay healthy. Take care of your body. It’s gonna be another long year,” the 2007 NBA MVP added.
Dallas Mavericks predicted to be back in the NBA Finals next season
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum recently appeared on the Jimmy Fallon Show, where he was asked to predict the two teams that will compete in next season’s NBA Finals. According to the five-time NBA All-Star, he expects a rematch between his team and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks will hope that their recent offseason moves will put them over the top if they make it back. During last season’s NBA Finals, the team struggled to generate offense outside of Luka Doncic, so they acquired Klay Thompson from the Golden State Warriors via a sign-and-trade.
Klay Thompson will improve Dallas’ spacing because of his elite outside shot, as he is shooting 41.3 percent from three-point range in his career.
