The Dallas Mavericks’ season ended on Monday night when they were defeated by the Celtics 106-88 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Boston.
The Celtics led from start to finish and by as many as 26 points. Like they have done all season long, the Mavericks battled, but it was clear that the Celtics, who were blown out in Game 4, were looking to put this series away on Monday night.
Jaylen Brown wins Finals MVP.
Boston wins its 18th championship, the most in NBA history. The Celtics were the best team in the league from start to finish, and they showed that in the NBA Finals.
Despite losing to the Celtics in five, the Dallas Mavericks can hold their heads high. Only a few expected this team to be here at the beginning of the season, but things changed before the trade deadline when they acquired P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. From there, Dallas became a formidable team.
In their final 29 regular-season games with Gafford and Washington, Dallas went 20-9, including winning 12 of its final 15 games.
Luka Doncic, who had 28 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in Game 5, felt Dallas had a fantastic season.
“We did some great moves,” Doncic said. “I would say we’ve been together for five months. I’m proud of every guy that stepped on the floor, all the coaches, all the people behind. Obviously, we didn’t win the Finals, but we did have a hell of a season, and I’m proud of every one of them.”
Dallas’ second-best player Kyrie Irving struggled in the NBA Finals. After averaging 27.0 points per contest in the conference finals, Irving’s average dropped to 19.8 points per game.
However, the 32-year-old says he enjoyed the season and is happy about the team’s future.
“Very confident,” Irving said about the team’s future. “I mean, that’s a positive note that we can take from this series, just how far we made it and how proud I am of the guys. We answered a lot of questions this year on what we were capable of doing and now it’s just about being consistent. I think probably in the last week, I said that I wanted to be remembered as one of the best teams of this era and our last few champions have been a new one each and every year.
“So, I see an opportunity for us to really build our future in a positive manner where this is almost like a regular thing for us, and we’re competing for championships. You know, I think from a spiritual standpoint, I think I enjoyed this journey more than any other season just because of the redemption arc and being able to learn as much as I did about myself and my teammates and the organization and the people that I’m around.”
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd says this is a great time to be a Mavericks fan.
“We’re a young team, and so this isn’t a team when you look at, you know, do we have to replace some of the older players, it’s — you know, we have a core, a young core at that, and so this is an exciting time to be a Mavs fan and to also be a coach for the Mavs,” Kidd said.
Led by Doncic, Dallas has a solid young core:
Dereck Lively II: 20 years old
Jaden Hardy: 21 years old
Josh Green: 23 years old
Luka Doncic: 25 years old
PJ Washington: 25 years old
Daniel Gafford: 25 years old
Derrick Jones Jr.: 27 years old(unrestricted free agent)
Kyrie Irving: 32 years old
Look at the ages of their key players. Outside of Irving, Dallas’ top players are 27 years old or younger, so yes, the future is bright in Dallas, and hopefully, they can continue to build going forward.
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