La Feria News

Conference Finals are Set

Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors set to clash in the 2022 Western Conference Finals

By Ruben Rodriguez

La Feria News

The 2022 NBA playoffs have been full of surprises since the opening play-in tournament. Now after a grueling month of high-intensity basketball, only four teams remain alive on their quest to capture the Larry O’ Brien Trophy. For one of those teams, the road has been very rough. That team is the Dallas Mavericks. Entering the NBA Playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 52-30.

The Dallas Mavericks were automatically placed into a first-round bye aftering entering as one of the top four teams in the west alongside Phoenix, Golden State, and Memphis.

Dallas has been a prime contender since 2018-2019 with the acquisition of young star Luka Doncic. Although missing the playoffs in that season, Dallas has made it to the postseason the last two seasons, where they were eliminated in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers in both seasons.

This year, The Mavericks have been red hot with a solid offense consisting of Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr. On the defensive side of things, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, and Boban Marjanovic. Dallas is led by first-year Head Coach and former Dallas Maverick Jason Kidd. Kidd, who was a part of the Mavericks 2011 NBA Finals Run, looks to take the Mavericks back to the finals, this time as a coach.

Dallas first faced off against the 5th seed Utah Jazz, after a back and forth series, Dallas won in game 6 to win the series 4-2. Dallas was then slated against the defending Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns. In a competitive series, Phoenix went ahead 2-0, then Games three and four went back to Dallas where the Mavericks defended the home front. The common trend in the series was that the home team was always victorious. Game Seven saw Doncic and Dinwiddie combine for 65 points as the Mavericks won game seven 123-90.

Dallas now has a date with the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors have gone to the  Finals five times in the last eight years. The Warriors last went to the Western Conference Finals in 2019. Dallas last went to the Western Conference Finals in 2011, the season which saw them capture the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat.

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