Going into the Western Conference Finals, it was assumed that the Dallas Mavericks would be able to match the Golden State Warriors and that we would be in for a classic series.
There was plenty of reason for sports fans and basketball bettors to think that. NBA aficionados looking for the best sports bets of the day had plenty of evidence to support the idea that the Mavericks would be tough to beat, based on what had happened in the regular season.
The Warriors met the Mavericks four times in the season, all of those games coming in 2022, and they had the worst of the rivalry. They lost 99-82 on January 5, 107-101 on February 27 and 122-113 on March 3. They managed to beat Dallas only once, on January 25.
And yet, come playoff time and the Warriors stepped up a gear. They won 112-87 in a statement-making Game 1, and went on to take a 3-0 series lead, eventually winning 4-1.
Kevon Looney
Stephen Curry was the MVP for the series, and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green made high-quality contributions, but these three stepping up when it mattered was not a surprise. What gave Golden State an extra edge was the form of Kevon Looney, who emerged as one of their key players.
As an undersized big man, he wouldn’t rank as the most skilled or the most athletic in the game, but he has two qualities that the Warriors prize highly – he works hard, consistently, and he has high basketball IQ. It helps too, that he has been with the team for a while and has built up an understanding with the other regulars. And against Dallas, he was there when they needed him most.
Across the series as a whole, Looney averaged an impressive 10.6 points, with 10.6 rebounds, three assists and shooting percentage of 70.6%. It is probably his best-ever playoff series and equally importantly, he has delivered his best when it mattered. In Game 2, he finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a huge comeback win. He was on fire again in Game 3, and in Game 5, he helped to close out the series with yet another double-double.
The Mavericks could not contain him on the interior, which is remarkable, given his relatively small stature for a center in the modern game. He is the epitome of the high-quality role player and after this performance, he is sure to be able to demand a big contract when he enters free agency in the summer.
Greater versatility
All of the franchises use analytics in some form, so any new tactical innovation doesn’t remain a secret for long, yet it’s still difficult for players to switch up their tactics in the playoffs at the end of a long, hard regular season, and against Dallas, the Warriors were able to take full advantage.
This series saw Golden State show off more tactical versatility, particularly in defensive schemes, than we have seen from them before. The key to this is not just their talent and experience but their basketball intelligence and deep understanding of one another’s game. It was noticeable throughout the series that they were able to switch defensive plans without a timeout, which meant that the Mavericks – so dominant in the regular season – were left looking slow and predictable.
Luka needs help
Luka Dončić was the one player on the Mavericks’ roster that the Warriors would genuinely fear – a generational talent with the ability to single-handedly win games.
It wasn’t enough. Dončić certainly did what was expected. He averaged 32 points a game throughout the series, 160 overall (41 points more than Steph Curry) and twice crossed the 40-point barrier. But when you’re up against a team that features three All-Stars and likely Hall Of Famers, you need more. Even LeBron James and Michael Jordan needed help, at least in the latter stages of the playoffs.
That is not to dismiss the talents of Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Dinwiddie, who are all fine players and reliable scorers. But the Warriors knew that the trio couldn’t really hurt them. They were able to focus all of their attention on Luka, and even though they didn’t stop him scoring, they did slow him down. If the Mavericks want to go to the next level, they desperately need another All-Star caliber talent to help their Serbian star.
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