The Mavericks have the opportunity to pull out all of the stops.
The Dallas Mavericks and MFFLs everywhere have held their collective breath since late Sunday evening, when Luka Doncic came up hobbling in the third quarter in the final game of the season. Though it has been labeled a calf strain by the team since then, it hasn’t clarified Doncic’s status for Saturday’s Game 1 against the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center, much less the rest of the postseason.
We’ve barely seen Doncic since he hobbled to the locker room Sunday. We’ve seen him reportedly grimacing his way into a hospital alongside what looks to be Casey Smith, and then slowly riding a stationary bike Wednesday alongside Maxi Kleber. The Mavericks are keeping access and information limited, possibly an attempt at muddying the Jazz preparation for the series.
Credit to the team for using some of the tools at their disposal, and leveraging a bad situation. But why not a little creativity? You want to keep the Jazz guessing, why not a flair for the dramatic? I mean the team is owned by a man who spends an inordinate amount of time on television and once staged an assault on a ref for April Fool’s.
It’s likely this mystery goes past the first game, so the Mavericks should leverage the power and crank up the mystery to 11. A few ideas:
FRIDAY
10 AM: Mavericks Twitter account tweets out “Bunny” with a video of Doncic, still wearing his blue compression sock, dunking in the practice facility. It’s Easter topical and gets everyone amped about what appears to be Doncic’s new leg.
2 PM: Doncic is pictured hobbling into a surgical center with the boot back on.
2:41 PM: Doncic is pictured leaving the surgical center with not one but TWO BOOTS.
9 PM: Video surfaces of Dirk Nowitzki practicing two-man sets with Jalen Brunson.
SATURDAY
1 AM: Anamaria Goltes, Doncic’s longtime girlfriend, tags Luka in her Instagram story in what appears to be a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel.
9:30 AM: Leak to Woj that Luka has flown to Germany for experimental treatment.
10 AM: Mavericks Twitter account posts a picture of Doncic squatting 700 pounds.
12 PM: Doncic repels from Dirk’s retired jersey onto the floor for shootaround.
Is this going to give the Mavericks an advantage in this series? Maybe. Will the Jazz be confused? It’s possible. Am I a genius? I don’t like labels, but yes. I just urge the team — no more vague answers. It’s the playoffs, throw the kitchen sink at them.