In the Western Conference playoffs, the Timberwolves, Thunder and Mavericks, three teams with mainly young rosters, played very well. The Thunder finished first in the West in the regular season, and they swept the Pelicans 4-0 in the first round to easily advance to the second round of the playoffs. The Mavericks beat the Clippers 4-2 in the first round, and they were the next to knock out their opponents. Doncic and Irving, the effect of the Eastern European combination together this year has obviously improved, and they have the help of blue-collar defensive giants such as Washington and Gafford to help, and the strength of the Mavericks lineup has been upgraded to a notch. Upset! Bombarded 58+22+12, Doncic Washington broke out, overturned the first place in the West, and made a bloody trade.
In the first meeting between the Mavericks and the Thunder, the Thunder won by 22 points, and the Mavericks seemed to have no power to fight back, Doncic shot inaccurately, Irving only scored 20 points, and the Eastern European combination had 9 turnovers, the Mavericks core played too poorly, and the role players couldn't stand up. The Mavericks and the Thunder G2 played against each other, although Alexander slashed 33 points + 12 rebounds + 8 assists + 1 steal + 2 blocks, but the Thunder still lost in an upset, because the rest of the Thunder teammates did not play well, and Holmgren and Jalen Williams and others all played sluggishly. The Mavericks, led by Doncic and Irving, pulled one back.
In the G2 of the Mavericks and the Thunder, Irving made 2 of 8 shots in the whole game, scoring 9 points + 3 rebounds + 11 assists + 2 steals + 2 blocks. Although Irving didn't score much, he did all the dirty work on defense, attracting defensive packs, connecting the whole team, and assisting his teammates, and Irving would rather win with a few points than waste the team to lose. Owen received a lot of recognition from fans after the game. Doncic and Washington broke out together, blasting 58 points + 22 rebounds + 12 assists + 5 steals + 3 blocks together, and the two of them stood up to stabilize the Mavericks' scoring firepower and led the team to upset the No. 1 Thunder team in the West. In addition, blue-collar center Gafford contributed 13 points + 8 rebounds + 2 assists + 1 steal + 2 blocks, and his performance was also good.
In fact, as long as Doncic finds his form, the other teammates can bloom more, because once Doncic and Irving are in shape, they can easily attract defensive attention, and other teammates will naturally be able to play more simply and easily. Therefore, the Mavericks' lifeline is on the Eastern European combination, and once the two of them break out, even if they are facing the Big Four lineup, they are not afraid. In fact, in this year's playoffs, Doncic has not played very well, and he has injuries that can easily affect his shooting status. Doncic is shooting just 40.9 percent from the field and 26.5 percent from three-point range in the playoffs this year.
Alexander, the leader of the Thunder, said in an interview that Doncic hasn't even played his best in the playoffs, he is a very talented and capable star, and we have to try to make it difficult for him. In the regular season, Doncic blasted 73 points + 10 rebounds + 7 assists in a single game, and 50 points + 6 rebounds + 1 assists in a single game. Because of the presence of Irving, Washington and Gafford and others, the strength of the Mavericks' roster has obviously improved, and the margin for error has also been greatly improved. The Thunder had the first regular season record in the West, and the series between the Thunder and the Mavericks had a hunch that they would have to play 6-7 games.
The Mavericks made two mid-season trades to acquire Washington and Gafford respectively, and after the two giants joined the Mavericks, their Doncic and Irving sides played very well. NBA reporters reported that in the second half of the regular season this season, the Mavericks played the best record in the league, because of the addition of Gafford and Washington, they changed the Mavericks' interior and forward defense, and the Mavericks' overall defensive efficiency rose from 25th in the league to 12th in the league, which is a qualitative leap. In this year's playoffs, the Mavericks averaged 6.5 blocks per game, the most in the league. Who do you think will win the series between the Mavericks and the Thunder?