Luka still ‘learning a lot' after ‘very bad' first half vs. Warriors

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Luka Dončić was nothing if not honest after his performance on Sunday night. 

In the Warriors' 109-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, Dončić recorded his second consecutive game with 40-plus points and a minus-12 or worse in plus-minus, a bizarre combination, but one that speaks volumes about his overall performance in the series. 

In talking to reporters after the game, Luka was asked about finding a balance between personal success and still finding a way to win against an elite team like the Warriors. The 23-year-old knows that he still has a lot to learn. 

"If I would knew that, I would have executed," Dončić said postgame. "I mean, that's a tough question. Like I say, I'm still learning. I think the first two quarters, I played very bad. That's on me. But I'm still learning. I think after this season is done, whatever we are, I think we're going to look back and learn a lot of things.

"It's my first time in the conference finals in the NBA, so I'm 23, man. I'm still learning a lot."

As the underdog, it starts with respecting your opponent, which Dončić has no shortage of for the Warriors. 

"I think the Warriors are playing incredible," Dončić added. "Everybody knows their role. Everybody just stays together. They're a long-built team. They've been together for a long time, and I think they're playing good basketball, so that's what I think is going to be really difficult, and these past three games, it's been very difficult."

Despite what the box score says, every single person in the building recognizes how incredible of a talent Dončić truly is and how dangerous he is night in and night out. There's a mutual respect, and Draymond Green believes Luka already has established himself as one of the NBA's all-time greats. 

"Now, this team isn't going to quit," Green said of the Mavs after the game. "They are led by a Hall of Fame coach, Hall of Fame player, but he's in the Hall of Fame, and a future Hall of Fame player in Luka Dončić, so they won't quit."

RELATED: What Porter being doubtful for Warriors-Mavs Game 4 means

Dončić and the Mavericks aren't done yet, but they still have a lot of work left to do. In fact, a seemingly impossible amount of work left to do facing a 3-0 series deficit -- one that no team in NBA playoff history has ever come back from. 

Until the Warriors put the final nail in the coffin and likely punch their ticket to the NBA Finals in the coming days, Golden State cannot afford to underestimate one of the game's brightest stars. 

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