Random Mavs News & Articles

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by DevinHarriswillstart

Kevin Durant!!! lmao.

SGA got FOUR first place votes. I didn't notice him playing defense AT ALL in the Mavs series. He always tried to hide on our worst offensive player.

Durant getting as many votes as Paul George is absurd.

[MFFL]

By Zach Harper

Wolves dominate Game 1 but lose by three
MINNEAPOLIS

I was in the building for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals between the Wolves and Mavericks, the first conference finals for Minnesota in 20 years. The Target Center was louder than anything I've ever experienced in that building. The Wolves were moving the ball, knocking down 3s and completely dominating the Mavericks in the first half. And yet, you looked at the scoreboard to see it was only a three-point game. How can you dominate a one-possession game?

The Timberwolves maintained that level of play for most of the night. They seemed to control everything but never built a double-digit lead.

Kyrie Irving kept the Mavericks close in the first half. He had 24 of his 30 points by halftime and was pretty much the sole reason Dallas kept it close at all. Kyrie got almost everything he wanted in the paint. It also bought the Mavericks enough time for Luka Dončić to get cooking in the fourth quarter, when he scored 15 of his game-high 33 points. By then, the Mavericks were up eight and put the Wolves on a comeback trail.

Dallas won Game 1, 108-105. It truly felt like Minnesota owned most of that game, but star power kept it from truly spoiling Dallas? poise. We also didn't see Anthony Edwards take over at any point. He said he was exhausted after the game, and, while his statline of 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists was good, there wasn't any point he forced the issue. He played a measured game, but the Wolves needed him to dominate for a stretch.

Here are three things to watch for Game 2 Friday night.
Points in the paint: Thanks to Kyrie's relentless attack in the first half, the Mavericks dominated this category. They outscored the Wolves 62-38 in the paint, which is not how this matchup is supposed to go. Even though Minnesota cut down on that in the second half, there were a lot of timely lobs on drives to lurking Mavericks big men.

3-point shooting: The Wolves can't feel good about making 12 more 3-pointers than the Mavericks and losing that game. But that's what happened. Jaden McDaniels (six) had as many made 3s as the Mavs, and the Wolves still lost. Dallas won't shoot 6 of 25 again, so the Wolves might have wasted a brilliant McDaniels game.

Edwards and KAT: Karl-Anthony Towns had a much-needed big stretch in the fourth quarter, but his rhythm got deflated when he was called for basket interference on a big tip dunk. Overall, he had 16 points on 6-of-20 shooting. As we discussed with Edwards: Both must establish themselves early and close late to even this series.

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