If there was a Game 7 game between the Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers, it would have been great to see former Thunder stars Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Paul George face OKC in the NBA Western Conference semifinal series. Dew.
Rather, just as the Mavericks pushed the aging Clippers out of the frame, Dallas will be a very dangerous obstacle for the Thunder team, which defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in a first-round sweep.
Dallas' Luka Doncic is the NBA's leading scorer. Mavs point guard Kyrie Irving is a fearless and breathtakingly skilled playmaker. Irving made a tough corner 3-pointer to beat the Clippers on Friday night. He made the legendary shot in Game 7 eight years ago, helping him, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers rally from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors in 2016. won the NBA title.
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OKC's Paycom Center will be deafening during Games 1 and 2 of the Mavs-Thunder series, but the veteran Dallas team is unlikely to be fazed by the noise. Irving looks solid, and Doncic is impossible to guard even at his best.
What a test for Oklahoma City's four best defenders: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lou Dort, rookie Kayson Wallace and shot-blocking big man Chet Holmgren.
The American Airlines Center in Dallas is a huge building with a seating capacity of 21,041, and the Texans are noisy. I love this matchup and this type of barometer series for a young Thunder team with little postseason experience, and I expect Game 7 to be played on Monday, May 20th in Oklahoma City.
Prediction: Thunder at 7 o'clock.
There were 42 regular season games in which the Thunder shot at least 50 percent from the field. Never in the organization's history had he had more than 29 such games in any season.
In Game 6, when the Clippers lost to Dallas, George, 34, Harden, 34, and Westbrook, 35, made 2 of 17 3-pointers. No such efficiency loss is seen with the Thunder.
Also, statistically, Oklahoma City is one of the best four teams in the NBA defensively.
When a team's fans have real influence, hosting a Game 7 has immense value. OKC's playoff crowds are notoriously powerful, which is why it was so important for the Thunder to secure the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
The Dallas-OKC series opener, which will be televised on TNT, is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at the 18,203-seat Paycom Center. This will be the 57th playoff game since the Thunder moved from Seattle to Oklahoma.
After Game 2 on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN), the series will move to Dallas for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
If you just look at the final score of the four regular season games between Dallas and OKC, and combine that score with OKC having home court advantage in the series, you'll probably feel good about the Thunder's chances of making it to the conference finals for the first time. Dew. Since 2016.
The regular season results are certainly telling, but it's not a positive story for Oklahoma City.
The Thunder defeated Dallas in three of four regular season games. However, both Doncic and Irving were active and were only in Dallas' starting lineup for one of those games.
The Mavericks defeated OKC 146-111 on February 10th in Dallas. Doncic and Irving combined for 57 points on 20-of-34 field goals. Dallas defeated OKC 75-49 after halftime. The Thunder missed 13 free throws and were an abysmal 17-of-47 from 3-point range.
Irving missed the Dec. 2 game against Dallas with a foot injury. OKC took a big lead when the Mavs started the fourth period on a 30-0 run, but the Thunder scored the final eight points of the game and won 126-120.
Doncic missed the March 14 game against Oklahoma City due to a sore hamstring. Irving scored 36 points. OKC won 126-119.
On April 14, the Thunder defeated Dallas 135-86 in the final regular season game at Paycom Center in OKC, clinching the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Doncic and Irving were inactive in a meaningless game for the Mavs. Oklahoma City's bench players totaled 85 points.
Doncic, 25, averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game, nearly averaging a triple-double in the Dallas-Clippers series. The key to OKC's defense: Making Doncic really work for points and somehow weakening Irving's influence.
Oklahoma City and Dallas have a rich postseason history. Dallas won five games against a young Thunder team in the 2011 Western Conference Finals and upset Miami in the NBA Finals. In 2012 (all wins) and 2016 (5 games), the Thunder defeated Dallas in the first round.
This reunion between OKC and Dallas should bring more drama and fierce competition than previous playoff matchups.
