MUST READ: 5 reasons why the Mavericks will annihilate the Timberwolves in the Conference Finals

On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks will play Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, which promises to be their most difficult opponent to date.

The Mavericks’ opponent in the playoffs has been the Timberwolves, who have the best defensive team by far. They shut down the Denver Nuggets’ offense for extended periods of time during their second-round matchup with Nikola Jokic and company.

Despite their youth, the Timberwolves have no fear of the moment because to the reckless attitude of rising superstar Anthony Edwards, which has caught on throughout the team. In this upcoming series, the Mavericks will need to be more resilient than ever since they cannot let the referees or any other external factor to distract them from their goal.

5 Reasons the Mavericks will destroy Timberwolves in Conference Finals

Luka Doncic should set an example for Dallas first; in the team’s last two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, his altered mindset and style were crucial. Despite how great their defense is playing, the Mavericks may still not have reached their maximum potential offensively in these playoffs, so they will still need a wide range of players to step up.

Nevertheless, there are still many reasons for the Mavericks to be optimistic about their game against Minnesota, since this is maybe their best opportunity to win a title since their historic 2011 NBA Finals triumph.

Here are five reasons why the Dallas Mavericks will thrash the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals without further ado.

5. Timberwolves’ lack of shot creation and playmaking off the bench

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ inability to create shots and make plays during various phases of the playoffs has been one of their major weaknesses; at other times, their bench has failed to produce enough offense to sustain the team.

This seems absurd considering that Naz Reid of Minnesota recently received the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, but Reid is a large man who isn’t expected to be the main offensive perimeter initiator. The Timberwolves lack a reliable shot-maker or bucket-getter off the bench, with the exception of Monte Morris’s sporadic strong shooting and playmaking performances.

It’s not that the Timberwolves can’t make up for their lack of perimeter shooting with post-scoring, 3-point shooting, and attacks off closeouts from their big men, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, but there’s no denying that the Mavericks’ size and rim protection will pose a threat to Minnesota’s offense, particularly if Anthony Edwards is having a bad shooting night.

Derrick Jones Jr. will have his hands full guarding Anthony Edwards, so the Mavericks will need to continue to rely on Josh Green, Jaden Hardy, and Tim Hardaway Jr. to provide strong point-of-attack defense off the bench. However, as of right now, bench production appears to be an area in which the Mavericks will have an advantage.

4. Luka Doncic looked like totally a different player by the end of the Thunder series

It would be simple to compile a laundry list of reasons for why Luka Doncic, the 25-year-old Slovenian superstar, hasn’t had the most dominant postseason run that he would have liked, given that he has struggled with a sprained knee, illness, and several other minor injuries since the playoffs started. Doncic hasn’t appeared to be having nearly as much fun on the court during these playoffs, frequently grumbling to officials about a missed call or toiling through discomfort up and down the court. It is evident that this has annoyed Doncic both mentally and physically.

Despite all of this, Doncic has continued to post flashy numbers during the playoffs, nearly guaranteeing a triple-double just by virtue of his existence. But Doncic’s shooting efficiency has clearly decreased this postseason, and his displeasure has resulted in some premature and unusual turnovers in Dallas’ series against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Doncic, who has averaged well over 40 minutes played each game in both of Dallas’ postseason games thus far, is carrying a hefty workload through all of this as well. But it was evident in Dallas’ past two Conference Semifinals games against the Thunder that Doncic had not only found his shooting groove but also much improved in terms of his mindset and attitude on the floor.

The MVP-caliber talent we saw during the regular season was more evident in Doncic’s last two games against the Thunder, as he accelerated the Mavericks’ offense and demonstrated unwavering persistence in reaching his spots on all three levels. Additionally, Doncic appeared to be having more fun with the game and was probably lessening the mental pressure on himself to perform well despite an injury.

Fans of the Timberwolves should be alarmed to see Doncic perform at the same caliber as he did during the regular season. Dallas is poised to make the NBA Finals, and Doncic may just be finding his footing in these postseason games. Doncic’s ability to maintain this level of mental toughness and focus is questionable, though, given that some of his minor ailments don’t seem to be healing quickly enough.

The Mavericks’ chances of making it to the NBA Finals could very well depend on Doncic’s performance, but if he plays at the caliber that we know he can when healthy, Minnesota is almost guaranteed to be in for a lengthy series.

3. Kyrie Irving is due for a big series

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves share one thing in common: they both have among of the strongest lineups of point-of-attack defenders in the league. When Dallas plays Minnesota, guard Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks won’t have an easier time of it since Minnesota’s defense (subscription required) will likely play Irving forcefully and trap him even more than it did against Oklahoma City.

The 32-year-old veteran averaged the second fewest points per game in his career in a playoff series (15.7) and nearly three turnovers per game in Dallas’ series against Oklahoma City, so there is hope for Mavericks supporters hoping that Irving will have a more effective shooting series against Minnesota.

Irving was undoubtedly impacted by the Thunder’s length and tenacity on the perimeter, but he also committed some unusual turnovers and missed several opportunities to attack and get to his spots frequently early in the game against OKC. Irving may have received the most defensive attention of any Mavericks player in their second-round series against the Thunder since the Thunder were able to focus less on Doncic due to his ineffective play earlier in the series.

Irving continued to play excellent defense and be a fantastic playmaker for the whole of Dallas’ game against Oklahoma City, making up for some of the unusual errors he had made early in the series. Irving will undoubtedly face the utmost pressure from Minnesota throughout this upcoming game, but it is unlikely that he will shoot as poorly or commit as many turnovers. Irving may be due for a big series from a shooting standpoint following a less than stellar showing against the Thunder, however it’s not a given given how flimsy Minnesota’s defense is. Players of his skill can only be controlled for so long.

2. Mavericks have the most size Timberwolves have faced in the playoffs thus far

The Minnesota Timberwolves faced a significantly more difficult assignment in their second-round series than they did in their first-round showdown with the Phoenix Suns because, without a doubt, the Denver Nuggets have an excess of size in their rotation. With 7’1″ center Rudy Gobert leading the way and a plethora of tall wings and hybrid big men like Kyle Anderson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid, the Timberwolves are perhaps one of the best teams in the league.

The Timberwolves’ size has greatly helped their rebounding and defense, but the Mavericks will be their hardest test to date, particularly if the Mavericks are able to reclaim Maxi Kleber at any point during this next series. The Nuggets lacked a trustworthy backup big man in their playoff rotation and a deeper pool of rangy and athletic wings than the Mavericks, so the Timberwolves faced a daunting task guarding players like the 7-foot Nikola Jokic and Denver’s larger dynamic wings, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.

With the exception of the Boston Celtics, the Timberwolves have the tallest average height of any team still in the playoffs, averaging 6-foot-7 overall. Dallas possesses the most size, length, and strength of any team the Timberwolves have faced in these playoffs, thus they won’t have a significant physical advantage over them.

Due to their greater capacity to play larger lines than the Timberwolves are accustomed to, the Mavericks will be able to outrebound and outplay them defensively. Luka Doncic, the best player for Dallas, is a stocky 6-foot-7 player who won’t be bullied at the offensive point of attack nearly as much as Jamal Murray was in Denver’s series against Minnesota.

The Mavericks won’t have a size edge for the duration of the playoffs, as was previously mentioned. But, following the trade deadline acquisition of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford to bolster Dallas’ defense. Furthermore, as these playoffs have shown, the Mavericks are big enough to defeat any team in the NBA as long as they play solid defense and have some offensive production.

1. Mavericks’ defense is peaking at the right time

A few months ago, it would have been absurd to call the Dallas Mavericks one of the NBA’s greatest defensive teams, but throughout the course of these playoffs, the Mavericks have established themselves as one of the finest defensive teams in the whole league. The Mavericks have played their most cohesive style of defense of the season during these last two playoff rounds, holding teams like the LA Clippers and OKC Thunder to fewer than 100 points on four different times in these playoffs.

With the exception of a few situations in the opening round when they found it difficult to contain James Harden in the pick-and-roll, the Mavericks’ defensive rotations have been incredibly effective during this postseason. The Mavericks have put forth an outstanding effort in their one-on-one defense throughout the playoffs, making life difficult for players like Paul George, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and the aforementioned Harden, to mention a few of the challenging matchups they have faced.

The Mavericks have shown excellent lineup defense in both the playoffs and the weeks preceding them. Their most recent obstacle came from the Thunder’s ability to play five-out offensively. Dallas demonstrated that their defensive rotations were quick enough to recover at the back line, and rookie center Dereck Lively II held up well when switched onto the Thunder’s perimeter players, despite the fact that one of their best-defending big men on the perimeter, Maxi Kleber, missed the series due to injury.

Given Minnesota’s size and length advantage over the Mavericks, the Timberwolves will challenge the Mavericks on a whole other level defensively with some of their offensive moves. As a result, the Mavericks will need to pay close attention to Minnesota’s off-ball movement.

But if Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving continue to play solid defense behind Dallas’ core defensive lineup of P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Daniel Gafford, and Lively II, the Mavericks are as prepared as any team in the league to handle the Timberwolves’ offensive assault.

Stay tuned as we will provide you with updates on the Dallas Mavericks during their Western Conference Finals encounter with the Minnesota Timberwolves.