One game down, another on the line. The Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks game on Feb. 26 was nothing less than a thriller. Luka Doncic met his former team in a clash at the Crypto.com Arena. A triple-double later, the Slovenian guard emerged victorious in his yellow and purple colored No.77 jersey. But, the most interesting part of this story was what the Lakers Nation had to say to the Mavericks GM Nico Harrison present in the crowd: “Thank you, Nico!”
Had the story ended here, things wouldn’t have been so curious, right? But of course, there is always a plot twist, and this time, it is the popular X parody account ‘NBACentel’ that found itself in a whirlwind. Well, whirlwind would be an understatement when it went out of commission on Wednesday with reports claiming it’s on a “temporary restriction.” The page currently reads, “Posts aren’t loading right now, try again” if clicked on.
Two incidents might have led to this odd fate which also pushed ESPN veteran Stephen A. Smith to tweet: “RIP Centel.” Let’s go one at a time. Barely days after fooling media personality Colin Cowherd into believing the Dallas Mavericks had banned Luka Doncic jerseys, another wild rumor is already making the rounds—because why let facts ruin a good story? Meanwhile, another “Finessed by Rob Pelinka” moment that they shared claiming it to be done by TNT (of course it was a joke!) might have led to the temporary banning.
So the streets are saying “an NBA team was involved” in getting Centel clapped & one of his final posts was this banger…
Not that hard to connect the dots pic.twitter.com/UWURpiiK3E
— Betsey (@Betsycashmoney) February 27, 2025
Meanwhile, Shannon Sharpe thinks that maybe someone is responsible for Centel going off X. “For them to remove it themselves or have someone remove it…” Sharpe commented on The Night Cap podcast. But for the fans, the math seems a bit too simple. They strongly believe that the Dallas Mavericks GM and the organization might be behind all of this. Fans and all the NBA franchises have shared their condolences on Centel’s ‘sad demise.’
Basketball fans put Nico Harrison on the frontline for X banning NBA Centel
One of the fans commented on X: “Most teams tweeted about Cental, the Mavs did not…. Hmmm ” Suspicious enough? Well, most of the NBA franchises like the LA Clippers have tweeted about the NBA Centel. But the Mavs have steered clear of the buzz. Maybe, it was indeed Nico Harrison‘s idea. After all, Colin Cowherd’s claims after Centel’s post on Luka Doncic’s jersey banning had thrown the Mavs in a negative light.
Speaking of the franchises sharing their heartbreak over Centel’s fate, here’s another parody account ‘Hater Report’ with a genuine report:
Yeah It’s official. There isn’t a single account on sports twitter that can say they PEAKED HIGHER than NBACentel
THIS IS INSANE pic.twitter.com/mnYuo9em4f
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) February 27, 2025
Another fan taunted Nico with a piercing comment: “Lmfao softest skin in the league.” This screams frustration in all languages. With 353.7K followers and a clear “parody” label on its profile, you’d think people would catch on—but even seasoned voices like Colin Cowherd still fall for its tricks. And their recent trick must have added to Harrison and Co.’s already throbbing aches and blisters. Therefore, the speculation game about their involvement in this banning keeps growing louder.
Meanwhile, the parody account’s “Finessed by Rob Pelinka” post doesn’t particularly seem so wrong after all. The Lakers GM surely made a clever and advantageous move by signing Luka Doncic. Some might say, he tricked Nico Harrison well enough for this, but well, it is the truth that the 25-year-old is out of Dallas with the pain of heartbreak and a sense of betrayal. Thus someone wrote: “dmn rip Centel rip to Nico after this year lol.”
Lastly, someone added: “The most hated man in Texas. I guess I’m a Spurs fan now?” There are no secrets when it comes to the hatred Nico Harrison has picked since Feb.2. Fans find it hard to believe that the GM traded the biggest star on the team. Their beacon of hope and the one who took the team to the NBA Finals is now gone. How are the Dallas die-hards ever to make peace with the truth? Besides, this incident with NBA Centel is fueling fan’s discontent, suspicion, and frustration.
Therefore, the mystery lingers. Did Nico Harrison and the Mavericks really play a hand in NBA Centel’s sudden disappearance? Fans seem to think so, and the silence from Dallas only adds fuel to the fire. Meanwhile, the “Finessed by Rob Pelinka” joke feels a little too real after Luka’s shocking move. As the drama unfolds, one thing is clear—no parody account has ever stirred the NBA pot quite like Centel. And if the streets are right, Nico might just be the league’s newest villain.
The post Did Nico Harrison & Mavs Cause NBA Centel’s Fall? One Luka Doncic Moment May Have Led to Million-Dollar Shutdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.
