DALLAS — The Question has loomed almost from the moment that Luka Doncic, late in the third quarter of the Mavericks’ regular-season finale against San Antonio, landed awkwardly, winced and grabbed his left calf.
That was on April 10.
Eight days later, the Mavericks on Monday night rallied to beat Utah, 110-104, in American Airlines Center and even the teams’ first-round, best-of-seven playoff series at 1-1.
Now, The Question becomes more relevant, if not yet pressing. Will Doncic be healed enough to make his series debut when these teams play Game 3 on Thursday night in Salt Lake City’s Vivint Arena?
While pondering The Question, the Mavericks franchise must consider the more important consideration: Should Doncic play?
“We’ve been in this seat as an organization before, and that time is coming that we’re gonna have to make that decision, either way,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
Because of his three stints in the organization, two as a player and now as Dallas’ first-year head coach, Kidd has a keen sense of Mavericks history. Especially history that relates to his friend and 2011 NBA title-team teammate, Dirk Nowitzki.
In 2003, the franchise faced a similar dilemma with 24-year-old face-of-the-franchise Nowitzki that it now confronts with 23-year-old face-of-the-franchise Doncic.
Nowitzki had sprained his left knee in Game 3 of Dallas’ Western Conference finals series against San Antonio. The initial prognosis was that Nowitzki would be out 10-to-14 days, though then-Mavs physician T.O. Souryal noted that Dirk was a quick healer and might be able to return later in the series.
Dallas battled the Spurs without its young star, but fell into a 3-2 series hole. Nowitzki was medically cleared to play in Game 6 in American Airlines Center, but coach Don Nelson would not allow Nowitzki to play. Nelson later cited a promise to Nowitzki’s father that he would take care of him like his own son.
“It wasn’t the right thing for this organization to have him play in a game and it wasn’t right for him,” Nelson said that night.
“He’s concerned about my health and body for the future,” Nowitzki said that night. “We have a lot more finals to come in the next few years for this organization. And that’s way more important.
“If I was 34 or 35, I probably would have played, but this is the beginning of my career.”
The Mavericks took a double-digit lead in Game 6, but ultimately fell when San Antonio scored 23 straight points behind a Steve Kerr 3-point barrage. Would Nowitzki’s presence had made a difference? Would Dallas have somehow won the NBA title that season instead of the Spurs?
Clearly the organization won’t take chance when it comes to the future health of Doncic, who last summer signed a five-year, $211 million contract extension that goes into effect next season.
If Doncic’s calf is weak in any respect, and if he risks further injury, the franchise won’t take that risk. NBA fans still shudder at the memory of Golden State’s Kevin Durant suffering an Achilles rupture in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, in his first game back after missing a month with a calf strain in the same leg.
“We’ve got to pay attention to the history,” Kidd said. “When you have almost exactly the same thing, both [Nowitzki and Doncic]. Do you play him or not? We’ve gone through this once before. We’re going to be right back in that seat again.”
Kidd wasn’t with the organization in 2003, having played for the Mavericks from 1993 to 1996, and from 2008 to 2012. Kidd is well-aware, though, that “Everybody wasn’t happy” about the decision not to play Nowitzki.
Everybody meaning, in particular, franchise owner Mark Cuban. In that case, as Cuban has noted many times through the years, the team’s entire medical and training staff was in agreement that Nowitzki risked no further injury.
“It was there I realized what I had suspected before,” Cuban told The Dallas Morning News in 2006: “That Nellie really preferred to be the underdog. Even with a championship at stake.”
Nelson later would say that the Nowitzki decision was the breaking point in his relationship with Cuban.
Until now, the series schedule has done the Mavericks no favors in terms of allowing recovery time for Doncic. The noon Saturday Game 1 start made it literally the first game of this year’s NBA playoffs. There was only one off day between Games 1 and 2.
Now, though, there is a two-day break before Game 3. The not-so-great news: Saturday’s Game 4 is an afternoon game.
“We know that we buy time for Luka to come back,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “It’s not rocket science. We want to have him back as quickly and safely and healthily as possible.
“But we’re also focused on winning the series, regardless.”
