Furiously in the conference final
Nowitzki witnesses great Mavs success
05/16/2022, 08:58 am
The title dream is alive: For the first time since 2011, the Dallas Mavericks make it into the finals of the NBA’s Western Conference. Club legend Dirk Nowitzki sees a furious away win at the Phoenix Suns on site and celebrates with Luka Doncic. Daniel Theis also has reason to be happy.
Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic hugged each other with big grins after the end of the game. The Dallas Mavericks had just dominated the Phoenix Suns in the decisive seventh game of the second NBA playoff round with 123:90 and were thus drawn into the Western Conference Finals of the North American basketball professional league – for the first time since 2011, when Nowitzki the Mavs had won the championship.
“What did I tell you?!” Nowitzki joked with several other Mavs players on the field. The German basketball legend watched the Mavericks away game in Phoenix on the spot and witnessed former international teammate Maxi Kleber and a 30-point lead for the Mavs at halftime. “‘Let’s go Mavs’ chants can be heard here,” wrote an astonished Nowitzki on Twitter about the audience response at the Suns’ home ground, where many said goodbye prematurely because of the significant deficit or booed their own team.
Nowitzki gives self-confidence
Doncic was happy to have won in front of Nowitzki. “When you see Dirk on the sidelines at an away game, it gives you self-confidence,” said Doncic at the press conference. The point guard excelled with 35 points – already at half-time he had scored as many points as the entire Suns team with 27 points.
“He’s Luka. He loves this stage. The bigger it gets, the better he plays. He set the tone,” Mavs trainer Jason Kidd praised his protégé. “I like these games: there is pressure, we were underdogs but we all believed in it,” said Slovenia’s Doncic. Throughout the playoff series against the Suns, he was the defining player, averaging 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists.
“I can’t get the smile off my face,” Doncic said happily about the win and progress. The home team had always won the first six games of the playoff series before the Mavs left the floor as winners in the decisive seventh game away. “The team was incredible. I can’t remember when an away team has achieved such a feat in a seventh game,” added the Mavericks star and Nowitzki’s legitimate successor. Dallas now meets the Golden State Warriors around Steph Curry in the semifinals.
Celtics celebrate too
Daniel Theis also has reason to be happy: Kleber’s national team colleague is also in the conference finals with his Boston Celtics. The record champion bowled defending champion Milwaukee Bucks out of the title race after a dominant performance in game seven with 109:81.
The Celtics were able to rely primarily on Jayson Tatum (23 points) and Grant Williams (27), with the Bucks only superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had something to oppose (25 points, 20 rebounds). Theis remained without a point in six minutes of play. The Celtics will now face the Miami Heat on their way to the finals.