DALLAS — In a series that was dominated by vibes, returning to DFW for Game 6, the atmosphere for the Dallas Mavericks was laser-focused on eliminating the Oklahoma City Thunder at home lest the young legs of the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed get to send things back north for a Game 7.
Dallas players and fans alike arrived at the American Airlines Center in the signature black fit reserved for an elimination game, and Game 6 is also where the team took the court in their “Trinity River Blues” blackout jersey.
On the other side, the Thunder were desperate to get things back to Oklahoma City for an “anything can happen” final tilt and played like it once the whistle blew. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s continued revelation, the Thunder soared to a 16-point lead by halftime. It was the type of situation where a mentally inferior team may have closed up shop and moved on to the next game. But this year’s Mavericks’ squad has continuously shown that they play until the game is over.
Once down by as many as 17 in the second half, Dallas continued to chip away and keep the calm demeanor that’s been a staple of this current run. Continuing to play their game, they pushed the Thunder and kept plugging away until late in the fourth quarter when they finally reclaimed a lead before a furious finish left the Dallas crowd dizzy.
The resolve is a true testament to the trust that Luka Doncic has developed in his teammates, as the All-World point guard pushed up the court and deferred the game-deciding shot to a teammate, this time hometown hero P.J. Washington.
In the end, Dallas held on for a one-point win, clinching another series over a favored opponent. The ensuing celebration saw the vibes pay off, and it is clear that this team’s chemistry makes them play for each other and not the stat lines.
The hard-fought series went to the No. 5 seeded Mavericks as they eliminated the Western Conference’s top team, and the series cemented Washington as a Mavs featured player. His defense on the perimeter paired with Derrick Jones Jr. and a Daniel Gafford/Dereck Lively II two-headed monster underneath drove the Thunder to take forced three-pointers, disrupting the league’s No. 3 regular season offense.
Washington also averaged 26 points in games 2-5 when the Mavs needed offense from someone other than the star backcourt. While the former Frisco resident only scored nine points in the elimination game, he forced a foul on the series-deciding play and clinched the series with two free throws to give that was a storybook moment for a guy who grew up dreaming of being in that position wearing a Mavericks’ jersey.
A Doncic-led team now makes their second Conference finals in the last three years, leaping over players associated with winning like Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell while Doncic continues to fight beliefs about his ability to translate his heliocentric form of basketball into victories.
Luka is the star with all the gravity that entails but never before has it been more clear that the Mavericks are winning as a team as this series where Doncic played hurt and players such as Washington, Jones Jr. (22 points in Game 6), and Lively (youngest player in NBA history to grab 15 or more rebounds in a playoff game) stepped up to help Doncic carry the load.
The Thunder’s defeat also sees Doncic advance over the MVP runner-up with Gilgeous-Alexander left in the dust after Doncic was voted one spot below him despite a superior statistical season in part because OKC had a better team record in the regular season.
Even with Doncic hobbled, he saved arguably his best game of the series for the elimination Game 6, playing 45 minutes, shooting 60% from the field, hitting four of six from deep, and going a perfect seven-for-seven on free throws. That spelled another triple-double for the streaking star, and back-to-back games where Doncic looked like his regular season self as Dallas closed things out.
Kyrie Irving, meanwhile, matched his series-high of 22 points in the clincher. Irving’s contributions were again mostly in the second half where the Mavericks mounted their comeback. Irving had a quiet series by his standards and will be relied upon to break through against either the Denver or Minnesota defense, but he also provided incredible leadership in helping keep Doncic level-headed as he navigates the ref whistles.
The Dallas defense also deserves ample praise for the way they outplayed the Thunder, especially in the paint. Winning the rebounding battle in Game 6 (47-31) was a difference-maker in being able to come back, and the overall effort from Dallas made the young Thunder uncomfortable.
Until the elimination game when Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren finally broke through, no other Thunder player besides SGA had scored more than 20 points. A defense that steadily improved throughout the season before taking a giant leap to becoming an asset after Dallas made the additions of Washington and Gafford at the trade deadline has become their playoff hallmark.
Washington and Jones Jr. stifled the perimeter, with Gafford and Lively outmuscling for rebounds underneath. Doncic’s national coming out party as a helper on defense will also disrupt narratives of being an offense-only player.
Make no mistake, the Thunder are incredibly good and their future looks bright which means this could be the start of a future playoff rivalry between the neighbors. But they now head to their offseason looking to add a body in the paint after that weakness was exposed by Dallas.
For the Mavericks, their next test may be their toughest, with both rising Minnesota and reigning champion Denver giving the earlier version of this team fits in the regular season. It will be interesting to see how far the post-trade deadline vibes will carry them, but the Mavericks are clearly no longer just a solid team on a good streak. They are just plain good and there’s no better proof than being in the finals of the league’s best conference.
Do you think Luka Doncic has earned his playoff bona fides with two WCF appearances in three years? Share your thoughts with Irvin on X (formerly Twitter) @Twittirv.