And then there were four. The NBA postseason is now in the conference finals stage, as the remaining teams look to earn their spot in the finals and compete for the Larry O’Brien Trophy. After a couple of game sevens that took place this weekend, let’s first look at the Western Conference Finals and how it will go.
Dallas Mavericks
Let’s start with the Mavericks. They pulled off the upset and defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games to advance. Luka Doncic overcame all of the injuries he has been dealing with and played 45 minutes in the decisive game. He paced the team with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
After struggling to score throughout the series, fellow teammate Kyrie Irving came up big with 22 points of his own in 42 minutes.
Throughout the series, it seemed as if Dallas always had the upper hand. They had a 2-1 series lead heading into game four. That is until the Thunder pulled out a 100-96 win to tie the series.
After that, the Mavericks took control and won the next two games to advance.
PJ Washington will be a player to watch. The power forward had at least 21 points in three of the six games in the series serving as the second option with Irving struggling. Don’t forget about Derrick Jones, who was impactful in game six and has at least seven field goals made in the past three games.
Minnesota Timberwolves
As for the Minnesota Timberwolves, it took seven games but they got past the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Whether it was their suffocating defense or clutch plays, Minnesota has made their mark this year.
Anthony Edwards is the unquestioned leader, despite his struggles in game seven. His 28.9 points per game this postseason along with his 6.2 RPG and 5.9 APG has shown he makes the engine run.
But, in the pivotal game, it was the veteran Karl Anthony-Towns who helped the team advance to the conference finals. His 23 points and 12 rebounds were big in helping them get past Denver, and all of the hard work in the past nine seasons is paying off for the big man.
One player worth noting is Jaden McDaniels, who has stepped up in a big way throughout the playoffs. His defense has been great (averaging two stocks (steals + blocks) a game) while making an impact on offense that he can. The forward has 23 points on 7-10 shooting from the field in game seven, which was huge considering Edwards’s struggles in the deciding game.
Prediction
The teams met four times this season, with the Timberwolves winning the season series 3-1. However, that should be thrown out the window, as the Mavericks did not have trade acquisitions Daniel Gafford and the aforementioned Washington when the teams faced off against one another (games played before the deadline).
Doncic was also inactive for two of the games played, and Irving for three.
Regardless, it will be a fun matchup to watch. Minnesota’s defense has been outstanding all playoffs long, but don’t sleep on the Mavericks who rank sixth in defensive rating.
The Mavericks have dominated the offensive boards all playoffs long, and that was seen against the Thunder. But, with Rudy Gobert, Towns, and Naz Reid awaiting them in the painted area, that may change.
Luka Doncic and Anthony Edwards are clearly the two stars in this series. Both have five wins against one another so far in their matchup history.
As grueling as it sounds, this conference finals will go the distance because of how good these teams are. It will come down to game seven in Minnesota, where I see Anthony Edwards proving to the world why he deserves to be known as a top-five player and leading Minnesota to the NBA Finals.
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Featured Image: C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images
