Thanks mostly to Luka Dončić, the Dallas Mavericks are on their way to their second Western Conference final.
Finishing off the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games, the Slovenian star guided his side to a 17-point comeback, winning 117-116 on Saturday against the Western Conference’s top seed. On Sunday, Dallas will play the victor of the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets Game 7.
Dončić had his eighth postseason triple-double of his career and his third straight, finishing the game with 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. With 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, Derrick Jones Jr. was the other major contributor.
Irving, however unsuccessful, improved his closeout game record to 14-0, the best in NBA history.
The Thunder dominated the whole game and, owing to a late second-quarter run, were up 16 at halftime. It was 77-60 early in the third. The Mavericks started to chip away around halfway through the fourth quarter, matching the score. From then, the game entered a crazy back-and-forth phase with five lead changes in the last five minutes.
A contentious call decided the game in the end. With three seconds remaining and down 116-115, P.J. Washington tried a potential game-winning three-pointer but was fouled by Thunder player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder disputed the foul.
Gilgeous-Alexander struck Washington’s arm after he obviously had a clean hand on the ball according to replays. Although touching the ball then the shooter’s arm often indicates the play wasn’t a foul, the referees argued that Washington absorbed the ball contact and then released it.
The Thunder dropped the series and then the challenge. Washington sank the first two free throws, but he purposefully missed the third, which forced OKC to take the ball with 2.5 seconds remaining on their end of the floor.
One disastrous half-court heave later, the season of the youngest NBA club was ended.
Where do the Thunder go from here?
Being the Thunder has the benefit of allowing you to miss the Western Conference finals and still be seen as on schedule.
That’s what happens when you go 57-25 with a rotation of 25 or younger players, including potential frontcourt stalwart Chet Holmgren, who is 22 years old, and MVP contender Gilgeous-Alexander. The following three seasons are already under contract for Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, while Holmgren and Jalen Williams are bound for an additional two.
With their ridiculous amount of draft selections (they choose 12th in the 2024 NBA Draft via the Houston Rockets), the Thunder can still recruit inexpensive players and be better the following season.
Naturally, giving up some of those draft selections for experienced players is the more appealing choice now that the Thunder are really competitive. More especially, a few paint reinforcements.
Rebounding was if there was a weakness for the Thunder this season. At 208 pounds, Holmgren is underweight, and at 6 feet 9 inches, backup power forward Jaylin Williams is too. Though they were still formidable defensively, with Holmgren harassing shots near the basket, the squad ranked 29th in the NBA in offensive rebounding rate.
The good news is that in Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren, the Thunder have already completed the difficult part. You’re definitely doing really well if your main concerns are completing the rotation and determining future extensions.
