Dallas are not quite dead yet after avoiding a clean sweep in game four of the NBA Finals but it’s still a case of when, not if, Boston will claim this year’s championship.

No team that has trailed 3-0 in an NBA playoff series has ever been victorious overall in 156 attempts. 

The Mavericks have definitely over-achieved to make it this far, particularly given the strength of the four teams that finished above them in the Western Conference in previous champions Denver, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and their first-up victims, the LA Clippers. 

Doncic has been immense for the Mavericks, working in tandem with Kyrie Irving, and squeezing the best out of their role player support cast which includes Boomers duo Josh Green and Dante Exum.

The Aussie pair stepped up big time in the 122-84 game-four blowout in Dallas with Exum pouring in 10 points in his 14 minutes of game time and while Green only added three points, he came up with five rebounds and a steal in a stellar defensive performance.

Exum was a +15 and Green one better in his 18 minutes with their energy at both ends of the court beautifully complementing Doncic’s 29-point haul and Irving’s 21 on 10/18 shooting.

Unless the Mavericks can overcome the enormous weight of history with three more wins on the trot, the big question now for Doncic is whether he will learn from his mistakes.

Whether he will realise that as great as he already is at 26 and six seasons into his NBA career, he can do more to get his team to the trophy. 

The next five years should be the prime of the Slovenian wizard’s career. 

He can do pretty much everything on the floor at the offensive end, averaging a tick under 34 points and a fraction off a triple double when you add in rebounds (9.2) and assists (9.8).

But his defence can be downright embarrassing. He doesn’t need to be great when it comes to stopping points – Dallas have more than enough defensive demons around him in Green, Exum and Derrick Jones jnr to make up for the weak points of Doncic, and Irving for that matter.

However, their franchise cornerstone can’t crumble on defence either. 

He was getting into James Harden’s matador efforts during his offensive peak/defensive nadir in Houston with some of his paltry efforts in the first three losses to Boston. 

Part of his defensive limitations is Doncic’s lack of dedication to his overall fitness. 

NBA stars don’t necessarily need to be super thin and Doncic’s size is one of his strengths but he frequently looks out of shape, particularly as a season wears on.

Shaquille O’Neal won just one NBA MVP because he did not dedicate himself to being in prime physical shape every season, which is something he has said repeatedly in retirement that he regrets.

Doncic needs to shape up now while he is entering what should be the peak of his career. And keep the extra kilos off so that he can still be logging big minutes at the end of the playoffs when it really matters. 

The other issue that he or Mavs coach Jason Kidd needs to address is his constant complaining about referee calls, before and after but particularly during matches. 

Superstars get the calls in the NBA and Doncic gets plenty of preferential treatment due to his status as a perennial MVP contender.

But the way he acts on the court is like every call that a ref makes is blatantly wrong. 

Not surprisingly, Doncic is consistently among the NBA’s worst offenders when it comes to tech fouls. 

When he whinges constantly like he did in game three, it affects his game and often damages his team’s chances. 

In game four, he buttoned his lip and looked much more focused as the Mavs stretched out to a big lead in the second quarter and never looked back. 

Doncic has been given everything he wants at Dallas. The franchise has mortgaged their draft future to put complementary players around him in Irving, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. 

They won’t be able to change their roster much at all in the next couple of seasons with their salary cap situation so their best chance of winning the franchise’s second championship hinges on Doncic making the leap from talented individual star to a player who can lead a team all the way.