NBC Sports Boston trolled Luka Doncic following Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Credit: NBC Sports Boston

While the Boston Celtics are one win away from winning their 18th NBA title, the biggest story coming out of Game 3 of the NBA Finals appears to be Luka Doncic fouling out with four minutes remaining in the contest.

And when it came to the Dallas Mavericks star’s postgame press conference, NBC Sports Boston didn’t bury the lede, posting a chyron that noted Doncic now has “more career Finals foul outs than wins.”

Tough, but fair. And also, accurate.

While Doncic’s propensity for complaining about the officiating has always been a part of his game — and arguably his biggest weakness — the five-time All-Star has seemingly taken his griping to the next level on basketball’s biggest stage. In that regard, Game 3 was his Magnum Opus, as he not only battled foul trouble throughout the contest, but took aim at the officiating in his postgame press conference.

“We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing. You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals,” Doncic said. “Come on, man. Better than that.”

Despite his complaints, Doncic doesn’t appear to be receiving much sympathy — at least outside of Dallas — with many having grown tired of his constant interaction with the officials. That was evident in Brian Windhorst’s comments to Scott Van Pelt on Sportscenter following the game, in which the ESPN reporter eviscerated the 25-year-old’s “unacceptable” Game 3 showing.

“I thought that it was perfect that Luka fell onto the ground there in an unacceptable position to put himself in with four minutes left and five fouls,” said Windhorst. “And then immediately looks over at the bench and says ‘You better bleeping challenge it’. As if it’s the bench’s fault that he just made a terrible play. I’m standing here in the Mavericks tunnel. Over there is the Celtics tunnel. That’s where the winners are. If Luka is ever gonna be a winner coming out of this tunnel here, he is gonna have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience.”

Suffice to say, Doncic’s relationship with the officiating figures to remain a critical storyline heading into Game 4 on Friday. But with the Mavericks facing an 0-3 series deficit, any potential changes the Slovenian superstar makes to his approach would likely be too little too late.

[NBC Sports Boston]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.