Western Conference Final 2024

Dude…

Boston wins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in an OT thriller. Jaylen Brown hit the game-tying shot with only seconds left on the clock. The clock hit zero and the game was still tied. Fans got 5 more minutes of free basketball, and Jason Tatum did not disappoint. Scoring 8 in the OT and securing the win. This series was going to be a lot closer than I expected. However, the Western Conference Finals will be a series to watch. The Dallas Mavericks beat the #1 seed in the West in the OKC Thunder. The T-Wolves beat the reigning champs in 7 games. Now, we get a Mavs vs. T-Wolves matchup, and The Dudes are grabbing their beers and sitting down to watch a banger of a season!!!

#3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. #4 Dallas Mavericks

GET YOUR POPCORN!! This has big time series feeling written all over it. The Minnesota Timberwolves are America’s team. Anthony Edwards is an assassin and has killed two of the favorites to win the NBA Finals. First, he didn’t just beat the new big 3 in KD, D BOOK, and Bradley Beal… he swept them. Then, they went up 2-0 on the reigning champions. Now, Joker wasn’t going down without a fight, and all looked lost for our hero as they went down 3-2 in the series. ANT decided to turn it up to the next gear. He balled out in game 6 with the help of everyone. Then in game 7, they found themselves down 20 in the 3rd quarter. ANT, KAT (Karl Anthony-Towns), and Rudy Gobert stepped it up. Rudy was hitting fadeaways and KAT was only hitting nylon on his jump shots. The supporting cast of Naz Reid, Neil Alexander-Walker, and Jaden McDaniels showed up to close the gap and eventually beat the reigning defending champions.

The Dallas Mavericks have one of the best backcourt duos in the league. Luka Doncic was a contender for the MVP this year but fell short. In these playoffs, it doesn’t seem like we’ve had a great performance yet. However, Kyrie Irving is his counterpart and he has been playing like the old Kyrie we fell in love with in Cleveland. Kyrie hasn’t just been a scorer, he’s been a facilitator as well. PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. have been huge X factors in both playoff series. First, Dallas had to take on the extremely hot LA Clippers team. After finding themselves losing in the series, Kyrie kicked it up a notch and helped the talented Mavs team stop the Clips in 6. Then, they face SGA and the barking OKC Thunder. Getting blown out in game one, Kyrie yet again takes over and bounces the Mavs back to a 2-1 series lead. PJ Washington couldn’t miss from outside and the front-court duo of Daniel Gafford and rookie Derek Lively Jr. caused fits for the Thunder down low. This led to open threes and great defensive play to beat the Thunder in 6. 

Now, the young and hungry T-Wolves take on the veteran and stingy Mavs team. Who moves onto the Finals? It’s going to come down to the role players. The Shikamarus of Naruto. The gravy on top of the mashed potatoes. That interesting side dish that makes everything work. Sure, the starts for Dallas in Doncic, and Irving will show up to play. ANT, KAT, and Gobert will also be on. If the Mavs want to win, they need guys like PJ Washington and Derrick Jones to continue to outperform what they’re worth. They need Gafford and Lively off the bench to slow down the three-headed trio of Gobert, KAT, and Naz Reid. If they can lure the T-Wolves into a sloppy series, they have a chance. The biggest thing for Minnesota is can their defense show up as it did in games 1 and 2 of the Nuggets series. Can they be a blizzard on the defensive end? Clogging up passing lanes, blocking shots, and limiting Doncic and Irving to getting to the rim. I think the T-Wolves just have a little more help than the Mavs do. Naz Reid and Neil Alexander-Walker have brought out a type of confidence that is championship-worthy. I’ve got the T-Wolves winning in 7.