Luka Doncic wasn't even a teenager when the Dallas Mavericks last appeared in the NBA Finals, back in 2011. But the 23-year-old superstar is only four wins away from bringing the franchise back to the championship series with hopes of hoisting another Larry O'Brien Trophy. With a trip to the West Finals at stake, Doncic flourished under Game 7 pressure on Sunday, scoring a team-high 35 points in a stunning 123-90 drubbing of the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.
The top-seeded Suns, which were the NBA's lone 60-game winner this year, succumbed to Doncic's offensive power almost instantly. He actually scored as many first-half points (27) as Phoenix, and Dallas' mammoth 30-point lead at halftime was the largest ever in a Game 7. According to ESPN Stats, Doncic became the second-youngest player to produce 35 points and 10 boards in a Game 7, and the first player in the last 25 postseasons to equal or exceed the opposing team's point total in a half. Sheer mastery in a must-win road game.
"He's just phenomenal. This kid has the size, hand-eye coordination, shooting ability, and high basketball IQ," former Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson told the Reiter Than You show on Monday. "Fearless. Tough. The Mavs were fortunate to draft Dirk Nowitzki, who I had a chance to coach and play with. But this kid has a chance to forge the type of career -- hopefully over these next 10-15 years -- and even ascend where Dirk went.
"You can call him a point guard, you can call him whatever you want. He's just a guy who keeps coaches up the night before games. And the Phoenix Suns didn't get any sleep, the way they performed in Game 7... Doncic, basically in a quarter and a half, snatched the life out of that team. But it was a rare night. And you've got to give Dallas and its defense credit -- they made some really good adjustments."
Although the Mavericks failed to advance past the opening round of the West playoffs last season, Doncic didn't wilt in their Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He recorded a team-high 46 points on 17 of 30 shooting, and racked up 14 assists. In order to force this West semifinal bout to a seventh game, he scored 33 points with 11 boards, eight assists, and four steals in a Game 6 win last week. Doncic is averaging 32.7 points through 23 career playoff games.
Dallas, which clinched the West's fourth seed with a 52-30 overall record, will take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the West Finals on Wednesday at Chase Center (9 p.m. ET tipoff). According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Mavericks have a 70-percent chance to advance to the NBA Finals, and a 30-percent chance of capturing their second championship.
The entire NBA playoffs conversation between Johnson and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Reiter Than You show on Twitter @sportsreiter and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.