Dallas Mavericks Advance to Western Conference Finals

The Dallas Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals. This will be their second appearance in three years. They made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2022. They fell to the Warriors in five games and Golden State would win their fourth championship. Luka Doncic is surrounded by a drastically different supporting cast in this case, headlined by his co-star, Kyrie Irving. Irving and Doncic combined for 51 points and 13 assists in the 117-116 Game 6 win Saturday, eliminating the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Dallas took out the top seed Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. My thoughts had the Thunder taking out the Mavericks in seven games, but my picks were wrong. Derrick Jones Jr., who arrived on a veteran’s minimum deal in the summer, scored 22 points. Jones Jr. played great defense on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the second half.

Rookie center Dereck Lively II, the Mavs’ prize for tanking the final two games of last year’s failure of a regular season. Lively II finished the game with 12 points and 15 rebounds and brought a lot of energy off the bench. Doncic credited Irving for providing “always positive energy” throughout the season and the series. Irving has emerged as the Mavs’ vocal leader, as evidenced by him being asked to deliver an impromptu speech in the locker room after Dallas rallied for the clinching victory. The Thunder had a chance to extend the series primarily due to the brilliance of Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 36 points and eight assists in Game 6. He threw an alley-oop off the dribble to Chet Holmgren to allow the Thunder to regain the lead with 20 seconds remaining.

Washington made the first two attempts then intentionally missed the final free throw, preventing the Thunder from setting up a play for a potential buzzer-beater. Jalen Williams missed a 64-foot heave to end Oklahoma City’s season. The 5^th seed Mavericks upset the Clippers in the first round and the top seed in the second. Dallas awaits the winner of the Denver and Minnesota series. Dallas will begin the series on the road on Tuesday night. Jason Kidd is trying to lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals after inking an extension a couple weeks ago.