The Oklahoma City Thunder’s season came to a dramatic end, marked by the controversial foul call on NBA MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This call sent PJ Washington to the free throw line, ultimately leading the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three seasons.
In a Game 5 that left no room for doubt, the Dallas Mavericks showcased their superiority by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-103, clinching their first NBA Finals appearance in 13 years. Despite the first four games of the series being decided by an average of 4.5 points, Dallas’s dominance was evident.
Despite OKC’s commendable performance, the series against the Mavs was a tough battle. The ball often fell in Dallas’s favor when it mattered most, leading to a series that NBA veteran Kyrie Irving described as ‘one of the hardestĀ he’s ever played.’
“It’s just really just the pace and just the physicality,” Irving told Sports Illustrated. “And the last series was physical, too, and the pace was a little different. But I think this series has challenged me physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve accepted that, and I’ve focused on the things that I can control and on getting my guys going early. And however the game plays out, it’s going to play out.”
We just witnessed the Mavericks run through the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games, where Luka Doncic returned to old form, dominating the Timberwolves, averaging 32.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 9.6 rebounds per game against Minnesota. Doncic shot 47.3 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from 3 on 10.6 attempts per game from long distance.
The Thunder, a team that has shown great promise all season, faced a formidable challenge in the Timberwolves, particularly with the size advantage of Rudy Gobert and Karl Anthony-Towns in the paint. However, when we compare their performance in the Semifinals to the Thunder’s in the Western Conference Finals against Dallas, it’s clear that there’s a lot to be optimistic about for the young, upstart Thunder.
The assessment that the Thunder were too young was overzealous. Having watched the Clippers against the Mavs and the Timberwolves against the Mavs, the Thunder made the fewest mistakes and were the most evenly-matched team.
Gilgeous-Alexander backed up his ultra-consistent reputation by being the picture of consistency during the series. Jalen Williams wasn’t as dynamic as he was during the regular season, but 18.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on 46.9 percent shooting, 38.5 percent from 3, and 81.5 percent from the free-throw line isn’t anything to scoff at for a second-year player on the youngest No. 1 seed in league history.
It’s worth noting Lu Dort’s defensive brilliance against Luka Doncic, a feat that no other player has been able to replicate in the Playoffs. Dort’s containment of Doncic forced other players to step up and take long-distance shots, a strategy that was executed to near-perfection by PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. in a collaborative effort.
While guarded by Dort in the Western Conference Semifinals (268.8 partial possessions), Doncic shot 47.5 percent from the field, right around his season average, but only attempted 10.1 shots per game, less than half the shots he attempted per game against Minnesota (22.4). Dort also had Luka toiling to get 3s off, only netting 33.3 percent on 3.5 attempts per game, a seven-shot difference from his attempts in the Western Conference Finals (10.6).
While Dort limited Doncic’s effectiveness, Williams did the same to Irving, making him work twice as hard as he usually would and undoubtedly harder than he did against Minnesota.
Irving averaged 27.0 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in 5 games in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. He averaged 20.8 total shot attempts and shot 48.2 percent. He shot 32.8 percent from 3 on 6.4 attempts per game.
Irving’s shooting percentages in the series against the Thunder were better while defended by Dub (50 percent FG, 40 percent from 3). Still, like Doncic, his attempts were lower, averaging 14 per game and 4.3 from long distance.
Zooming back out and looking at the big picture, Doncic and Irving had a much tougher time against the Thunder while dog-walking the Timberwolves. Unfortunately for OKC, Dereck Lively III, the draft pick they traded off for Cason Wallace on Draft night, made the most significant difference down the stretch after Dallas-native Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. took turns torching the Thunder, picking up where Dallas’ juggernaut backcourt lacked.
While the Thunder have accepted their fate, it’s important to recognize that their journey was not without its triumphs. Everyone involved, except perhaps the fans, understands that there are no moral victories in a hard-fought loss. However, there’s a palpable sense of what could have been, knowing that the Thunder were just one controversial call away from pushing the NBA Finals-bound Mavericks to a Game 7 in Oklahoma City.