NBA Playoffs: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves series preview and prediction

The Western Conference playoffs unfolded in a way many did not see coming. The Minnesota Timberwolves ran circles around the Phoenix Suns and knocked out the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets to get to this point. The Dallas Mavericks got past the Los Angeles Clippers and young Oklahoma City Thunder to earn their spot in the Conference Finals.

The Timberwolves are hoping to make franchise history, as the organization has never made the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are hoping to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. We’ll take a look at how the two teams stack up against one another. All statistics are soured from Basketball Reference.

Karl Anthony-Towns has rewritten the narrative that he can’t contribute to a winning team. He scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Denver in Game 7 over the weekend. Athlon Sports wrote about the promise Towns once had, and how it's being realized now. Minnesota’s frontcourt also features Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

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Dallas essentially traded for a new frontcourt at the deadline, and their moves have paid off. Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have brought an energy to the team that wasn’t previously there. Yahoo Sports called the trades potentially major gambles, but has given credit where it is due during the postseason.

The notion that Towns and Gobert would have difficulty playing together seems like a distant memory. They haven’t just found a way to coexist; the two have played off one another’s strengths and catapulted Minnesota into contender status. Small forward Jaden McDaniels has also been a huge factor in the Wolves’ success.

If there’s one thing fans have seen during the 2024 postseason, it’s that Minnesota star guard Anthony Edwards doesn’t shy away from a challenge. Ahead of their series finale against the Nuggets, he told Fadeaway World that “it was going to be the greatest Game 7 of all time”. The former number one overall pick has ascended to a level that has elevated him into the “best player in the league” conversation.

Not to be outdone, Luka Doncic has battled many nagging injuries to lead his team to the Western Conference Finals. This will be the second Conference Finals Doncic has played in during his career, and hopes that backcourt running mate Kyrie Irving can help him get over the hump.

Both starting guard units feature NBA superstars, but Dallas gets a slight advantage here. Mike Conley has been extremely valuable for Minnesota as a veteran presence, but the veteran has been battling Achilles issues of his own.

While players get a lot of attention for battling through ailments, Minnesota’s coach deserves the same praise. Finch hasn’t missed a game since he ruptured his patellar tendon in the final game of the first round. The fully mobile Micah Nori has been calling most of the shots, but the system the two have figured out seems to be working.

The job Kidd is doing this year might be underrated to say the least. He’s integrated major pieces into the lineup seamlessly in the middle of the season, and has also appeared to keep Kyrie Irving on the straight and narrow path. Dallas appreciated his efforts so much that they extended his contract during the 2024 NBA playoffs, according to Yahoo.

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Both coaches have done tremendous jobs with their team. Finch has found a way to put his frontcourt players in a position to succeed, while Kidd’s on the fly tweaks have helped Dallas make their second conference finals in three years.

Minnesota doesn’t experience much of a drop-off when Gobert and Towns head to the bench. That’s because reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid has been sensational on both ends of the floor. Perhaps GiveMeSport put Reid’s impact best, as he is great at filling in whatever blanks the Wolves need from game to game.

Dallas is going to need contributions from their reserve wings in this series. They’re hoping that Tim Hardaway, Josh Green or Jaden Hardy can get hot and steal a win. Rookie center Derrick Lively has had a superb first season in the NBA, and is playing with a heavy heart. He dedicated the Mavs’ second round series victory to his mother, who passed away in April.

Reid’s consistent force off the bench has given Minnesota a huge advantage all season, and that won’t change in the Western Conference Finals. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is also an important player for the Wolves, who will routinely be asked to guard Doncic and Irving.

Jaden McDaniels surprisingly scored 23 points in Game 7 against Denver. While he won’t be expected to provide that kind of scoring output moving forward, the points he does contribute are a nice added bonus for the Wolves. Dallas will hope that he doesn’t have a game like that in this round.

This should be a highly entertaining series that has an excellent chance to go the distance. Either way, this could be a legacy defining series for Doncic and Edwards, who figure to be vying for Western Conference supremacy for the next decade or so. Minnesota’s size might be just enough to bother Dallas to earn them a spot in the NBA Finals.

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