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By Ricardo Sandoval
Contributing Sports Writer
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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić denies any rumored feud or hatred towards his former running mate and Boston Celtics big man, Kristaps Porziņģis.
Dončić denied former Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons' claim that he did not enjoy playing with Porziņģis in Dallas. Dončić told reporters on Tuesday.
"I've talked to Chandler Parsons maybe twice in my life, so I don't know how he would know that," Dončić said. "But me and KP have a good relationship. I don't know why people say otherwise."
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Parsons said on Monday on FanDuel's Run It Back that Dončić did not like playing alongside Porziņģis and added that there was beef between the two European-born players.
"Don't get it twisted, they do not like Porziņģis in Dallas," Parsons said. "It's going to be, every time he touches the ball, he's getting booed. I think that's known. It didn't work out."
Porziņģis was also asked about the rumors, however, he dodged the question, saying he has a series to focus on. Brian Robb of MassLive shared via Twitter/X:
"It didn't work out," Porziņģis said. "I'm not even thinking about that right now. I'm thinking about the job ahead. We can think about that later."
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Porziņģis and Dončić were teammates for two-plus seasons. Dallas hoped that these two players would take them to the next level; however, they never seemed to be a great fit together. Ultimately, the clock started ticking on their time as teammates, and the Mavericks ended up trading Porziņģis at the 2022 trade deadline to the Washington Wizards.
Parsons' comments seemed to come out of left field. Although he played for the Mavericks from 2014-16, he doesn't have any connection to Dončić and Porziņģis. Nonetheless, those are some big claims just before the two are set to face off for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
These comments by Parsons are a sidetrack for the task at hand for these two key contributors to their teams. Porziņģis is set to play in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after being sidelined for nearly six weeks due to a strained left calf he suffered in Game 4 of the Celtics' first-round series against the Miami Heat on April 29.
As for Dončić, he will look to lead Dallas to its second NBA title. He's doing it all for the Mavs in this playoff run, averaging 28.8 points per game, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from behind the arc.
Beef or no beef, we're in for a very entertaining and highly hostile NBA Finals matchup.
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