Basketball fans can rejoice. The NBA version of the Final Four is here and the games become more pressure-filled as the weeks go by. While plenty could change over the course of the next few days, it is always helpful to have a little preview of the upcoming series. Below is a quick glance at what to expect from the teams that made it to the Western Conference Finals and the players who can have an impact on the Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors series.
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The Matchup
The Mavericks, who were not expected to be here after losing the first two games against the Phoenix Suns in the previous round, have to feel good about their situation right now. They have a 3-1 regular-season series win against the Warriors, who might be missing key bench players in the next few games. They can even say that the seven-game grind against the Suns forced the team to mature instantly. Playing the Warriors can be a monstrous task so one has to wonder if all the lessons they learned, when they beat Chris Paul and Devin Booker, can be applied when it comes to beating Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors will have other things on their minds though. They know their starting five is good enough to win this series and they never had their usual starters together in those regular-season games against the Mavericks. The game plan is simple here. Teamwork is always better than a one-man show. All they have to do is control the passing lanes and make life difficult for Luka Doncic to operate. If the Warriors can somehow force Doncic to play in a frustrated manner, then they’ll have an easier chance in this series.
Golden State Warriors X-Factor: Draymond Green
He may not be the quickest or the flashiest player on the team, but he more than makes up for those deficiencies with his outstanding vision, creativity, and experience. After 10 seasons as a Warrior, Green can be counted on to mentor his younger teammates or bully any player he’s guarding. Harassing players on both ends of the court is Green’s specialty. It has come to a point where he has to tone it down a bit now because his reputation for playing rough and loud could lead to unnecessary technical fouls.
Dallas Mavericks X-Factor: Spencer Dinwiddie
In their first two rounds of the postseason, Dallas had a few players who gave eye-opening performances. One was Jalen Brunson in the first round and the other was Dorian Finney-Smith. The third player to make his mark in the playoffs was Dinwiddie, and what a mark that was. Dinwiddie scored 30 points in 25 minutes in the Maverick’s Game 7 win over the Suns. The coaching staff has this knack of making someone other than Doncic play like an All-Star from time to time and Dinwiddie, who replaced Kristaps Porzingis during the season, took that role and just proved to everyone that he was worth the transaction. If “Game 7 Dinwiddie” shows up, we’re going to have a classic series here.
Series Prediction: Golden State Warriors 4 – Dallas Mavericks 2
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Main Image Credit: via NBC Sports
