2024 NBA Playoff Update
2024 NBA Playoff Update
The NBA Finals match-up is set. The Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference for a second time in three seasons last week, and awaited whoever would emerge out of the West.
Surprisingly (at least to me), the Minnesota Timberwolves had fallen behind, 3 games to none in the Western Conference Finals. They were able to win Game 4 to extend the series, but that was as far as the Mavericks allowed it to go, to their credit.
Yesterday evening, the Mavericks absolutely blasted the T-Wolves in Minnesota. They took over the game right from the start, and built up an enormous lead. Dallas was leading by 29 points by halftime, 69-40. The To-Wolves just had no answers.
It feels to me that maybe the back and forth series against Denver, which they barely survived, probably took more out of them than many had believed. It just felt that they never really were in this one. Indeed, Minnesota pulled a bit of a rally to make the score look more respectable in the second half, but that was about all that they managed to accomplish. They never managed to make it even remotely close, and in the end, they bowed out as quickly and completely as they fell behind, both in the game and in the series.
Dallas, meanwhile, just never left any doubt. Game 5 felt like it encapsulated the entire series, really. The Mavericks took control early and convincingly. Minnesota tried to fight back, to rally, but never really were in sync or got much of anything substantial going. They were able to win Game 4 to avoid the sweep and make the series look more respectable, much like they were able to cut into the embarrassingly huge lead that the Mavericks had built in Game 5. But in the end, Dallas won it, and very convincingly.
Shockingly, the T-Wolves were 0-3 in their own building in this series. They also were 1-2 at home in the series against the Nuggets. I know that they were playing the defending champs, and that it proved to be a very tough and taxing series. Still, tired after the Denver series or not, that's just not enough to get the job done.
So now, the Dallas Mavericks survive and capture the Western Conference title. They make the first NBA Finals appearance for the franchise since 2011, when the Mavericks won their first (and so far only) NBA Championship.
Game 1 will be in Boston on Thursday night, which seems surprisingly far away, given how short both of the Conference Finals series proved to be (four games for Boston to dispatch with Indianapolis, and just five for Dallas to move past Minnesota).
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