Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, and a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Does it really get better than this?
We know what Curry has been capable of, being one of the most entertaining players to watch from the get-go, but Doncic has time and time again left us baffled with his playmaking ability on both ends of the court.
Mavericks-Warriors Series Odds
Golden State Has Plan For Luka
Doncic is one of three remaining players are averaging 25/5/5 this postseason with Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Heat’ Jimmy Butler being the other two. Golden State most certainly isn’t taking Doncic’s talent for granted as defensive guru Draymond Green will likely take on the task of setting the tone on defense early on in this series. Fortunately for the Warriors, being the higher seed gives them home court for the opening two games of this series which bodes well as they have yet to lose a playoff game at home this postseason.
Warriors’ Scoring Remains Top Factor
Although Green’s defensive presence is a huge domino, Golden State’s depth on offense and scoring options are what’s going to allow them to pull away in many games and make Doncic go bucket for bucket with not just Curry but Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins.
- Steph Curry: 26.9 points, 45.1 FG%, and 35.9 3P% this postseason.
- Klay Thompson: 20.4 points, 45.0 FG%, and 40.8 3P% this postseason.
- Jordan Poole: 19.3 points, 50.0 FG%, and 39.1 3P% this postseason.
- Andrew Wiggins: 14.5 points, 49.2 FG%, and 40.0 3P% this postseason.
A 2-0 lead could be in sight for the Warriors before the series shifts to Dallas, where the Mavs are beyond capable of coming out of that deficit…
Will Mavericks Get Enough Non-Luka Scoring Help?
It’s going to be up to Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson to step it up a notch and be a strong second option. The Mavericks are 4-0 this postseason when someone other than Doncic scores 25 points.
Warriors Can’t Let Mavericks Linger
Although the firepower may not be enough to keep up in a best-of-seven series with Golden State, one thing that’s noteworthy— especially if the Warriors get out to an early series lead as expected—is how good Doncic and this team is with their backs against the wall.
The Slovenian guard averages 38.3 PPG in elimination games, the highest in NBA history. That will allow Dallas to keep this series alive, however, it’s still tough to envision the Mavericks taking the Warriors to a seven-game series.
Prediction
Quite frankly, Golden State could wrap things up as early as Game 5 at home, however, that also seems too good to be true. Game 6 seems like the perfect sweet spot for this series as Doncic will force the Warriors to make that one extra trip out to Dallas just to fall victim to “Game 6 Klay”
Ultimately for Golden State, this isn’t some feel-good story where the fans or the franchise views making the conference finals as a successful season. It’s been a gold standard in the Bay Area since 2015 when the Warriors won their first championship since 1973. Every postseason the Warriors have played in since their 2015 title, they have reached the Finals hardwood, so best believe this team is eyeing their fourth Larry O’Brien in the last seven seasons.
The Warriors got now but the Mavs got next…
- SR Prediction: Warriors in 6.
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