3 Reasons Why Mavericks Can Win NBA Title
The Dallas Mavericks punched their ticket to the second round by closing out their series versus the Los Angeles Clippers with two blowout wins. Dallas’ reward for advancing is facing a thriving Oklahoma City Thunder squad.
The Mavericks are slight underdogs to win the series versus the Thunder at +110 in the Las Vegas odds. OKC is the favorite at -130.
Luka on Kyrie Irving: “To have a guy like that on the team it’s a pleasure. Just working w/ him, playing w/ him, it’s a pleasure. No matter what, he’s always positive energy, not even one second of negative energy which helps a lot. Helps everybody. We’re so happy to have him.” pic.twitter.com/FSET9Jb2ef
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) May 4, 2024
Are the Mavs legitimate NBA title contenders this postseason? Let’s examine three reasons the Mavericks could make a deep playoff run.
No. 1 Luka Is Still Luka
Look, Luka Doncic is still one of the best players in the world. Anytime Doncic is on your roster, your team is technically a title contender.
Love these edits by the team at BSSW. Mini replay of Game 6…pre-produced scene setter, post game interview with Skin and Luka and in between a big chunk of the 58 combined points from LuKai that propelled the Mavs to their series clinching win. Enjoy! pic.twitter.com/Wme6xZ42GJ
— Mark Followill (@MFollowill) May 4, 2024
Many projected the Mavs-Clippers matchup to be a seven-game series. Instead, Dallas gained steam as the series went on and Los Angeles withered away.
Doncic averaged 29.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds per game in the series versus the Clippers. The star struggled from long range shooting 23.9% from behind the 3-point line.
Fans will want to keep an eye on Doncic’s knee injury moving forward.
“Terrible, man. I need some rest,” Doncic explained, per The Associated Press.
No. 2 Re-Emergence of Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving is not a new development, but this version of the star is the best we’ve seen in Dallas. Irving appears to be all-in on complementing Doncic.
KYRIE. IRVING. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/4K24PkZmeG
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) May 4, 2024
The Mavs star arrived to Game 6 in a full suit and was all business in the team’s close-out win. This dynamic duo gives Dallas a chance against the top teams in the Western Conference.
Irving posted 30 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the win. As the Mavs advanced, Doncic gushed over Irving as a teammate.
“I would say unbelievable,” Doncic said of Irving, per ESPN. “So it’s even more special, but just to have the guy like that on your team, it’s a pleasure. Just working with him, just playing with him, it’s a pleasure no matter what. He’s always positive energy, always. Not even one second of negative energy, which helps a lot, helps everybody, and we’re so happy to have him.”
Kyrie Irving: “I don’t feel misunderstood, I feel like I’m showing who I truly am now and embracing that.. I appreciate good people, good-spirited people that are kind to me. That appreciate what I do and I appreciate what they do. It’s a shared human respect there.” pic.twitter.com/ehMhYS6Y4I
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) May 4, 2024
No. 3 Luka Finally Has Help
Candidly, this may not be the year Doncic finally gets to the NBA Finals, but this may be the first year it looks like a realistic possibility. Doncic finally has a supporting cast.
As mentioned above, Irving finally looks like the star, coming up in clutch moments for Dallas. Yet, “the others” as Shaq O’Neal often says performed well during the postseason.
Rookie Dereck Lively II is finally healthy and back on the floor. Dallas has a plethora of big men to throw at the Thunder. Bigs like P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford were significant against the Clippers.
Let it rain, @PJWashington ☔️ pic.twitter.com/rnMNM135dh
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 4, 2024
The Mavericks will need more consistency from Maxi Kleber if the team hopes to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Gafford and Washington were both mid-season additions at the trade deadline.
“No disrespect to any other team that we were on, but it’s just we went from playing for nothing to playing for something,” Gafford told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “It’s like we had to lock in a whole different way.”
For the Mavs to truly be title contenders, the squad may need a bit of help from the Timberwolves. The Nuggets still look like a formidable opponent, but the health of Jamal Murray is worth monitoring. Denver is just behind Boston in the NBA odds to win the championship.
Questions of the Day
Who is favored to win the Mavericks-Thunder playoff series?
The Thunder are -130 favorites against the Mavericks in the NBA playoffs.
What is the point spread for the Mavericks-Thunder Game 1?
The Thunder are 3½-point favorites versus the Mavericks in Game 1.
