If we turn back the clock precisely a week ago, there was a man who made a particularly bold claim: The red-hot Mavericks, fresh off embarrassing the top-seeded Suns, would also go on to knock off the Warriors to reach the NBA Finals.
The column laid out valid enough reasoning, highlighting Dallas’s stout defense—and the fact that the Mavs had contained Stephen Curry better than just about anyone during the year—while raising the question of who, if anyone, could slow down the unslowdownable Luka Dončić. The Mavericks take care of the ball better, and, when they’re at their best, can generate and knock down open threes at a higher clip than the Warriors.
As you might have noticed, Golden State has made the man who penned that piece look funny in the light. Yes, that would be me, having to own the fact that I thought Dallas could—would—take out the Warriors in the conference finals matchup, a notion that could be fully obliterated by late Tuesday night given that the Dubs are up 3–0 to begin the series.
