Both Dallas and Minnesota feature plenty of young talent. With an NBA Finals ticket on the line, who has the edge?
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic dribbles against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Dallas. Dallas won 115-108.The Wolves have never reached The Finals before, but they’ve transformed into a worthy championship contender thanks to the emergence of two-way superstar guard Anthony Edwards and a potent defense that ranked first in the NBA throughout the regular season.
Conclusions from the regular season meetings should be taken with a grain of salt due to several factors that may have influenced the final result., Luka Doncic and the Mavericks weren’t able to keep pace with the Timberwolves. Doncic scored 39 points to go with 13 assists, six rebounds and two steals. While Anthony Edwards struggled with nine points on 3-for-19 shooting, Dallas had no answer for Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid. Towns and Reid combined to score 48 points on 16-for-28 shooting.
Irving is one of two regular starters left in both conference finals with a ring. He was key in Cleveland’s 2016 title win over the Golden State Warriors. The only other player with such experience is Boston’s Jrue Holiday, who won with the Bucks in 2021. The Mavericks also seem to have an edge in coaching experience, with Jason Kidd leading his second WCF run as the team’s leader. He has also been part of half of the franchise’s six conference finals. On the other hand, this is Minnesota coach Chris Finch’s first time reaching this stage.“Getting to that first NBA Finals is hard. It took the Mavericks a quarter of a century before they finally made it in 2006, eventually winning it all in 2011.
, Mavericks Beat Writer. Mike is the Mavericks Beat Writer for The Dallas Morning News. Before his arrival at the DMN, he spent two seasons covering the Detroit Pistons at The Detroit News. Mike earned his bachelor's degree in Communications from Tennessee State University and received his master's degree in Media and Communication from Middle Tennessee State University.A year ago, Texas Rangers boasted best lineup in the AL.
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