Western Conference Champs Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving to Face Boston Celtics! Dallas Mavs NBA Finals Podcast
After 13 long years, the Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals, where they'll face the top-seeded Boston Celtics next week.
On Thursday night, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving decimated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center, winning the game 124-103 and the series 4-1. Irving will make his fourth NBA Finals appearance, and Doncic will make his first. The dynamic duo combined for 72 points in the win.
https://youtu.be/XhDDf-5he4g
"Set the tone," said Doncic, who outscored the T'Wolves by himself in the first quarter, 20-19, en route to winning the Western Conference Finals MVP award. "I just got to set the tone, that's about it. ... [Demoralizing the away crowd is] a good feeling, man, I can't lie. Just go out there, and you know, it's us against them, just stay together. But that feeling... that feeling is great."
On the latest episode of our Mavs Step Back Podcast, we break down every aspect of the Mavs' thrilling Game 5 win over the T'Wolves. Not only were Doncic and Irving fantastic in Minnesota, but Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Jaden Hardy and P.J. Washington all had key moments that helped push Dallas over the hump.
"Insane," Doncic said of his team going from the lottery last year to the NBA Finals this year. "I think we've got a great team, but most importantly, we've got great guys... great guys on the team. From players to coaches to everybody on the team, we have great guys, and that's the most important thing. Like I said, we stay together, and we just play basketball. ... I think we beat three very, very, very good teams [without] having home advantage, which is pretty good for us."
Aside from all the West Finals stats and notes, we also jump into an NBA Finals preview. How will the Mavs match up against the high-powered Celtics? Who are the most important Celtics players to keep an eye on? Will head coach Jason Kidd have to flip his defensive approach from what he implemented against the Timberwolves? We cover it all on today's show.
As always, thanks for listening, and be sure to SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode! Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com and our Mavs Step Back Podcast for more extensive coverage leading into the NBA Finals, which begin on Thursday, June 6.
