WARRIORS HAVE A ROADBLOCK: LUKA
Many months ago and well before he returned to the court from an injury absence of more than 21⁄2 years, Klay Thompson made a bold proclamation: “It’s championship or bust.”
Thompson, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are one step closer to having a chance to make good on those words as they prepare to tip off Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
“I love the moments. I love the pressure. I love playing basketball at the highest level,” Thompson said.
Thompson looks like his old self this postseason after returning in January. He had been sidelined since the 2019 NBA Finals when he tore the ACL in his left knee and had surgery. He was working his way back when he tore his right Achilles tendon and underwent another operation.
He can’t wait to lead the Warriors into the best-of-seven series against the surprising fourthseeded Mavericks, who took down top-seeded Phoenix 123-90 in the deciding seventh game of their series Sunday.
“They’re obviously playing at a really high level, they have a lot of guys that have shined this playoff run,” Curry said.
A year ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo had his breakthrough moment on the playoff stage
leading Milwaukee to a title, and now this might be Luka Doncic’s time to do so for Dallas.
“He’s a really unique player and clearly one of the very best players in the league. I think the ability to shoot the step-back 3 and also get to the rim and pass the ball so well makes him a really difficult cover,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s got a lot of confidence, he feeds his players confidence, you can see that, there’s a good vibe on that team, a good spirit. There’s a reason they’re here in the conference finals.”
Doncic and Mavs great Dirk Nowitzki, who led Dallas to the 2011 title, shared a moment on the court in Phoenix after Game 7. At 24, the big German was a year older than Doncic when he reached the West finals for the first time with the Mavericks in 2003. Dallas lost to San Antonio in six games and Nowitzki missed the last three with a knee injury.
Nowitzki played with Doncic when the Slovenian was a rookie in 2018-19 then retired after a record 21 seasons with the same
franchise and took two years off before becoming a team consultant.
“He was just happy,” Doncic said of their conversation Sunday. “I think he gives everybody on this team a lot of confidence when you see Dirk sitting courtside. I think everybody really appreciates him because Dirk is Dirk. He’s been through everything. He’s been a champion so he knows it.”
It’s also a breakthrough of sorts for the Mavs’ Jason Kidd, who is in his first season as coach of the team he helped win the title as the point guard. Kidd led Brooklyn to the second round as a rookie coach in 2013-14, the season after the Hall of Famer retired as a player. Kidd couldn’t get Milwaukee out of the first round in two tries over three seasons. He was fired during his
fourth season with the Bucks.
The Dallas defense certainly presents a challenge for the Warriors’ high-powered offense.
The Suns shot at least 50 percent in their first eight playoff games before Dallas held Phoenix under that mark the final five games. The Suns shot 24 percent in the first half of Game 7 while falling behind by 30.
The Mavericks also held Phoenix to its three lowest-scoring games, regular season included, in the series — 103-94 in Game 3, 113-86 in Game 6 and 123-90 in Game 7.
Dallas was second to Boston in fewest points allowed per game during the regular season, the highest finish in franchise history. The Celtics finished at 104.5 and the Mavs at 104.7.