Dallas Mavericks head to the NBA Finals
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All the Mavs gather around team hero Luka Dončić — the MVP of the Western Conference Finals. Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103 Thursday night.
Why it matters: Winning is fun.
- Making it to the championship series is the payoff for how team leadership has added versatile players around superstar Luka Dončić.
The latest: The Mavericks led the Wolves by nearly 30 points for much of Game 5.
- Dončić and Kyrie Irving scored 36 points each.
- Dereck Lively II was back in action after missing Game 4 because of a neck injury. He scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench.
The intrigue: Coach Jason Kidd was a member of the championship Mavericks team. Irving scored the Cleveland Cavaliers' championship-winning three-pointer in 2016.
- But many of the young Mavs players haven't experienced the playoffs before, and now they'll get to compete in the finals.
- "They believe in each other," Kidd said of Irving, Dončić and the rest of the team.
Flashback: Dallas has only been to the NBA Finals twice, winning once in 2011. It was payback against the Miami Heat, who won the championship during the Mavs' first finals visit in 2006.
- The Mavs last played in the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and lost to the Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the championship.
What they're saying: "We're a great team. It's not just about me and Luka," Irving said after Thursday's win.
By the numbers: Dončić has averaged the most playing time during the playoffs with nearly 42 minutes a game. He has averaged 28 points per game, the most on the team.
- Irving has averaged just a minute less than Dončić in the playoffs. He's averaged 22 points per game.
- PJ Washington has played the third most on the team, averaging nearly 37 minutes a game and scoring nearly 14 points per game.
State of play: The Mavs will face the Boston Celtics, who swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
- The NBA Finals will be a battle of the road warriors.
- The Celtics haven't lost an away game during the playoffs this year. The Mavs have lost just two.
What's next: Game 1 will be at 7:30pm June 6 in Boston.