Dallas Mavericks Advance To Western Conference Finals, Face Golden State Warriors

There’s no denying it anymore. The Dallas Mavericks are for real. Led by Luka Doncic, the Mavericks dismantled the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals, 123-90, Sunday afternoon. In doing so, they sent Chris Paul, Devin Booker and the best team during the regular season packing.

It hasn’t always been an easy journey for Dallas. The team was two games under .500 in late December and battled through another bout with Covid-19 this season. Yet, the Mavericks persevered. Now, for the first time since winning the championship in 2011, the team is returning to the Western Conference finals where they will face the Golden State Warriors.

“We’re still learning each other, we’re still finding ways to get better,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re playing a very special team in the Warriors when you talk about dynasty and one of the best coaches to ever do it. We’ll celebrate this [win], enjoy this today and then we’ll close the book and get ready for Golden State.”

During the regular season, Dallas bested Golden State three times, losing only once. Klay Thompson, the Warriors’ sharpshooter didn’t play in two of those games.

“I don’t know if they were completely healthy when we played them,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “Obviously, this is playoff basketball and they’re one of the most historic teams of all time. Their nucleus is still intact. Jordan Poole has been playing amazing. We’re going to have our work cut out for us.

“We’re looking forward to heading to the Bay and continuing this thing. It’s the Western Conference Finals. It’s what you dream of.”

In the playoffs, each team has nearly identical statistics. Dallas boasts an offensive rating of 114.5, the highest of any remaining playoff team. They also have a defensive rating of 110.5. Meanwhile, the Warriors have an offensive rating of 114.3 and a defensive rating of 110.5.

The only glaring difference is the pace the teams play. The Mavericks slow it down with a pace of 92.50 while Golden State likes to get out and run. They have a pace of 99.82.

“We know that they’re going to be ready,” Jalen Brunson said. “They have the experience, they have everything. We’ve just got to be prepared. I’m very excited to get here, [but] there’s a lot more work to be done.”

Dallas is in this position thanks to a dominant Game 7 performance. Dallas never trailed in the decisive game, building a 46-point lead at one point. Spencer Dinwiddie came to life off the bench to score 30 points, including connecting on five three-pointers. Brunson chipped in 24 points. But it was Luka Doncic who carried the load in the elimination game.

This is the first time in his NBA career that Doncic has advanced to the conference finals, and he put on a commanding performance to get there. Doncic poured in 35 points on 63.2% shooting for the game. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished four assists. At halftime, he had as many points as the Suns–27. His determination was apparent throughout the game, and he could not contain his joy afterward.

“Honestly, I’m really happy,” Doncic said. “You can’t get this smile off my face right now. I’m just really happy. Honestly, I think we deserve this. We’ve been playing hard the whole series–maybe a couple of games here we weren’t ourselves. We came here with a statement in Game 7. We believed, our locker room believed, everybody believed. I’m just happy.”

He and the Mavericks have every right to be happy. No one expected them to win the series and advance to the Western Conference finals. Many predicted the series was over after Dallas dropped the first two games. They proved the doubters wrong and showed that nothing is decided if they hold each other accountable and embrace the journey ahead of them.

“We are a young team,” Kidd said. “First-year coaching staff. We’re getting to know each other, but we have some special people in that locker room that believe in team. A lot of times in this league if you are a team, you find yourself winning games that you’re not supposed to.”