Brian Windhorst delivered one of the most scathing critiques of an athlete in recent history, skewering Mavericks star Luka Doncic after he fouled out of Dallas' Game 3 clash with the Celtics on Wednesday night.
Speaking with fellow ESPNer Scott Van Pelt, Windhorst picked apart Doncic for his general performance and perceived lack of effort on the defensive end, a phenomenon best encapsulated — as Windhorst views it — by his lazy attempt at drawing an offensive foul during Game 3, one that resulted in Doncic's removal from the contest. Boston went on to win the game, 106-99, to pull one game closer to an NBA championship.
Many fans resonated with Windhorst's messaging, believing Doncic did little to help himself or his team when a comeback was in sights. Windhorst displayed eloquent prose while attempting to fire off barbs at the Slovenian superstar, ending the appearance with a treasure trove of memorable digs.
"I thought it was perfect that Luka fell onto the ground there in an unacceptable position to put himself in with four minutes left with five fouls," Windhorst said sarcastically as he set the table for his take. "And then immediately looks 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's ever going to be a winner coming out of this tunnel here, he's going to have to use what happened in this Finals as a learning experience," Windhorst stated.
"His defensive performance is unacceptable. He's a hole on the court. ... [The Celtics] are ahead in this series because they have attacked him defensively."
Windhorst's words were strong enough. But once the internet got a hold of them, it refused to let go, instead draping it in some 808s and packaging it not as a television appearance, but rather a diss track.
Brian Windhorst-Kendrick Lamar diss tracks, explained
Legions of spectators adorned Windhorst's TV spot with the beats of some of rap's greatest disses, from Kendrick Lamar's "Meet the Grahams" (produced by The Alchemist)...
Windy x Meet The Grahams are what the NBA interwebs are all about pic.twitter.com/WO8H7tU3wb
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) June 13, 2024
...to "Not Like Us" (produced by Mustard)...
here's this, as well https://t.co/tWJPnbTcZf pic.twitter.com/o51I60Zq9Z
— Bill DiFilippo (@billdifilippo) June 13, 2024
...to Nas' Ether (produced for Ron Browz)...
74 seconds of Brian Windhorst going IN on Luka Doncic’s performance in Game 3 x Ether beat. pic.twitter.com/raTiysqkEV
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) June 13, 2024
How will Doncic respond? Could he invoke Tupac Shakur with a "Hit 'Em Up" type response? Or will he settle for a more cold, cunning retort, like Ice Cube's "No Vaseline"? Only time will tell...
Regardless, few will forget Windhorst's 74-second demolition of the Mavericks star. For that, we're grateful.
