Who saw this one coming? The Dallas Mavericks have bucked the odds and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they will be facing off with the Golden State Warriors. Who takes the series opener?
Catch this game live on Thursday, May 19, at 9 AM, Manila time.
Away: Dallas Mavericks (0-0/0-0 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Luka Doncic
- SG: Jalen Brunson
- SF: Reggie Bullock
- PF: Dorian Finney-Smith
- C: Dwight Powell
The Mavs believed in themselves and look where that got them? Down 0-2 to the Phoenix Suns in the second round, Dallas trusted Luka Doncic to carry them and got rewarded not just with great play from the Slovenian but from his supporting cast that got it together in time. Take for example Spencer Dinwiddie, who’s managed to finally break out of his slump by coming up with a pair of big performances in the final two games of the Suns series.
In Games 6 and 7 against Phoenix, Dinwiddie scored a total of 45 points on a ridiculous 72.7 FG% and 71.4 FG%. He’s not going to sustain it, but what matters is that he regained his confidence just in time for the showdown with the favored Warriors. And then there’s Dallas’ defense that has been a huge weapon for the team.
The Mavericks averaged 21.2 points off turnovers per game in the previous round, which is a good sign for Dallas heading to the conference finals against a Golden State team that turned the ball over 17.7 times per 100 possessions in the Western Conference semifinals. The Mavericks arrive at Chase Center with a 4-1 ATS record in their last five games.
Home: Golden State Warriors (0-0/0-0 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Stephen Curry
- SG: Klay Thompson
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Jonathan Kuminga
- C: Draymond Green
The conference finals is familiar territory for the Warriors, and the experience of their core will very much come in handy in this upcoming series. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all been there, done that guys, who certainly have enough gas left in their tanks.
And there are the likes of Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins who are both exceptional shot-creators and solid floor-stretchers for a Golden State team that is averaging 14.3 3-pointers per game on 36.3 3FG% in the playoffs. The Warriors are an unselfish team that loves to swing the ball around, but they will have to be more careful against the Mavs’ active hands.
So far in the playoffs, Golden State is leading all teams with 27.2 assists per contest. Defensively, the Warriors are arguably even better on that end of the court, as they have limited their postseason opponents down to only 44.3 FG% – third-best overall. Unlike the Mavs, the Warriors did not have to go the distance in the second round, playing two fewer games in the playoffs so far than Dallas. The Warriors are 7-2 ATS in their last nine home games.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Warriors cover (-5).
Over/Under: The Under (213.5) hits.
