The Los Angeles Lakers bench weren’t the only ones standing as Luka Doncic shot to get 60 points. The Miami Heat supporters showed an outpour of love too. They’d witnessed one of the great performances from a master. Doncic’s impeccable performance had the entire Kaseya Center giving him ‘MVP’ recognition.

That chant reverberated all over the arena. In the moment, nobody could stop smiling, Luka Doncic included. It was only after the game that the five-time All-NBA First Team guard could capture that moment in his thoughts. It was something he hadn’t experienced before.

“It was pretty impressive. You know, especially away game in Miami, you know, you hear the whole crowd chanting MVP. It was, you know, what I think every player wants to hear. So, you know, I got little goosebumps. So, it was pretty special,” Doncic told reporters after the game.

Road crowds aren’t typically supportive, even if a star puts on a great performance. But this Doncic performance was indescribable. Only 24 hours ago, he dropped 40 on the Rockets. Then, he turned up in Miami and went on an absolute tear in the second half. Doncic dropped 39 of his 60 in that period. And his night included everything.

Luka Doncic hit daggers, nonchalant triples, and had the Miami defense on a rope. Heat’s Bam Adebayo related to Doncic. He knew the Slovenian was in that “mode” where no specific coverage could stop him. Doncic made 18 of his 30 shots and even compiled five steals.

Luka Doncic entertained everybody watching tonight. The only thing left is for the league to take notice.

Luka Doncic points to the media for not being in MVP contention

The Heat fans aren’t the only fans screaming ‘MVP’ at Luka Doncic. Many fans are beginning to turn that page, especially after these last eight games. When we speak about influence on winning, Doncic is doing it better than anybody. He has scored 30 or more in his last eight games. The Lakers haven’t lost. The last time he didn’t score as much was when they did.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring and has now pushed the Lakers to be a comfortable third seed. Factor in the injury absences, and it’s undeniable that Doncic deserves to be in the conversation. He feels it’s the media who aren’t doing his performances justice.

“That’s you guys, media. I ain’t got nothing to do with that,” said Doncic.

But the writing is now on the wall. Luka Doncic is averaging a near career-high 33.4 points per game. As the season’s gone on, his shooting numbers have improved astronomically. Doncic is nailing 37% of his threes and has made 16 over a two-game span. All of that, and there’s still the 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals he’s giving to the Lakers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama, and more deserve equal consideration. However, in Doncic’s case, his season isn’t being acknowledged since the Lakers went through several inconsistent patches. JJ Redick feels it’s the narrative that he complains a lot.

No matter what the case may be, the numbers don’t lie. Luka Doncic deserves to be in the MVP conversation without question.