(Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks‘ season could be coming to an end with a whimper on Friday night.
They will host the Chicago Bulls in a game they must win in order to still have a shot at qualifying for the play-in tournament.
However, head coach Jason Kidd said that superstar Luka Doncic will only play in the first quarter and that afterward he will be “done for the season.”
Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic: “He’s going to play the first quarter and then he’s done for the season.”
Kidd then backed off the “for the season” declaration a bit, but that’s the plan.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 7, 2023
It is a curious decision for a team that reached the Western Conference Finals just a year ago and has two of the deadliest crunch-time performers in Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Fans on Twitter feel like the Mavs have already given up on the season before it has even ended.
the Mavs are tied with the Thunder for the playoffs with 2 games to go and they’ve given up?
— Spencer Keele (@SpencerKeele) April 7, 2023
Oh they tanking for sure
— Michael Figueroa (@Mikefiggs) April 7, 2023
Hahaha what a joke!! With a chance at the playoffs and they tank!! Went from the western conference finals to not even making the playoffs
— Donny Anderson (@Donny480) April 7, 2023
This fan feels Mavs fans should show the same type of commitment their team seems to be showing for this game.
How great would it be if all the fans walked out after the 1Q as well?
— Kevin Parsley (@KevinParsley75) April 7, 2023
After last season’s unexpected success, hopes were high for the Mavs this season, but they struggled to stay over .500 during the first half of the schedule.
Then came early February’s Irving trade, which some thought would make them into title contenders.
But thus far, Irving’s time in Dallas has been a disaster.
The team has won only seven of their last 20 games, and has gone from looking to be on their way to a top-six seed and bypassing the play-in tournament to being on the verge of missing the play-in tourney altogether.
It looks like it will be a long and unpleasant summer for the Mavs and their fans, as the team will face some difficult decisions, beginning with Irving’s pending free agency.
The post Fans React To Today’s Luka Doncic News appeared first on The Cold Wire.