Luka Doncic may have played like a grown man in the Dallas Mavericks win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, but there was a moment after the game when he looked like a teenager who had just been scolded.
Doncic scored 36 points (20 in the first quarter) to help the Mavericks win the Western Conference Finals and advance to the NBA Finals. Doncic, who was named MVP of the series, celebrated with his father after the game while drinking an adult beverage. That is, until Mavericks vice president of basketball operations Michael Finley put a stop to it.
Mavericks reporter Grant Afseth shared a video on social media that showed Finley casually taking the beer out of Doncic’s hand. Doncic looked stunned and could be heard saying “no cameras.”
Luka Doncic and his father, Sasa, after the Dallas Mavericks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/fbqhft2G6B
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) May 31, 2024
It is hard to tell exactly why Finley took the beer from Doncic. Some speculated that the former NBA champion was just trying to mess with Doncic. But given the way Doncic reacted, it seemed like he thought Finley had a problem with Luka drinking the beer and felt it was a bad look.
Perhaps Finley was trying to remind Doncic that the Mavericks still have a job to do and should not be celebrating too hard — at least when the public can see it.
