Lakers reportedly copying Mavericks' $165M Finals blueprint behind Luka Doncic's second-half surge

The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling, winning 10 of their last 11 games. Luka Dončić is starting to take over when it matters most, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the organization listened last May when the face of the franchise said he wanted a contending team immediately.

“Dončić being just 26 gives the Lakers a far longer timeline to build a championship-contending team, but that doesn't mean they can slow down and take their time. Dončić told Lakers president Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick in May that he's not interested in taking the slow approach in building a contender,” CBS Sports’ Jasmyn Wimbish wrote.

The Lakers were struggling at the end of February, but now they have found a groove. That groove is eerily similar to the one Dončić found in Dallas when the team made its run to the NBA Finals.

“The 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks went all the way to the NBA Finals. They were also a group who largely put it together in the second half of the season. For that team, players got back healthy and the Mavericks were able to figure out what a winning formula truly looked like after the All-Star break. They closed out the season going 18-9 before beating three 50-win teams in their dominant march through the Western Conference Playoffs,” Lake Show Life’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote. “In the process of getting healthy, the Lakers found what works. They are 11-4 after the All-Star break, firmly in the midst of an eerily similar second-half surge. It's not exactly a one-to-one for both sides and the roster construction certainly looks different, but it is hard not to draw those parallels when Dončić was the captain of both those ships.”

Of course, none of this guarantees that the Lakers will be playing for an NBA championship in a few months, but there is reason for optimism. The blueprint is there, and it’s exciting.

Dallas went through teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder during that run, which is something Los Angeles will likely have to do as well. This is the most exciting the Lakers have looked in a long time.

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