Luka Doncic, star player of the Dallas Mavericks, praised Real Madrid’s dominance in European football, stating that the team is “in its own league” and at the top of the sport.
In a pre-game press conference ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Doncic was asked about the mystique surrounding Madrid and how it compares to facing other top teams in the league, including the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.
“Real Madrid is in a league of its own,” Doncic said. “They’re at the top of Europe.”
“But Boston and the Lakers are the two most important teams in the NBA, and they’ve been that way since day one. There’s definitely a comparison,” he noted.
When asked about the influence of Madrid’s comebacks on his playing style, Doncic credited his time at the club with teaching him valuable lessons.
“Yeah, definitely. Especially for me, because I grew up there and saw everything there. It definitely helped me, and I always talk about what Real Madrid did for me,” he said.
The Mavericks will face the Celtics in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden on Monday, looking to achieve a historic comeback and become just the 156th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-0 deficit.
After the team’s 122-84 win in Game 4, Doncic expressed confidence in his team’s abilities to continue their comeback.
“It’s not easy to win in the Finals, especially against Boston. But at the end of the day, it’s the same whether you win one or 40. We have a lot of confidence in ourselves, and we’re going to believe until the end,” he said.