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0 Australian Boomers duo Dante Exum and Josh Green are on their way to play in the NBA Finals after the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday morning (AEST).
Dallas humiliated Minnesota after running away with a 124-103 win to finish off a 4-1 victory in the Western Conference finals and book their spot against the Boston Celtics in the NBA championship match.
Boston secured their spot in the Finals on Tuesday morning (AEST), downing Indiana Pacers 108-105 to cap a 4-0 series in the East.
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The championship fight has multiple storylines, with Kyrie Irving returning to Boston in what is sure to open up old wounds with his former team’s fanbase. Luka Doncic will make his first trip to the round, while Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum get their second chance at a ring.
It’s Boston’s second time in the finals in the last three seasons, after falling to Golden State in six games in 2022. The match will be Dallas’s first appearance in the title round since winning the championship in 2011.
“We’re going to the NBA Finals,” Doncic said during the on-court celebration in Minneapolis on Friday morning (AEST).
“Just can’t believe it, man.”
Josh Green drives to the basket. NBAE via Getty Images
Doncic alone outscored Minnesota in the opening quarter, putting up 20 points as Dallas pushed out to a 35-19 lead.
Minnesota shot only 31 per cent in the first quarter compared to Dallas’s 61, with Aussie’s Green and Exum injected to find a way to make an impact in the second.
Green set up PJ Washington with a flawless bounce pass late in the quarter before making a diving layup of his own, with his trademark energy capturing the attention of all in attendance.
Meanwhile, Exum attempted to make a crucial defensive rebound but was left will little space when Anthony Edwards made him touch the ground on a stepback 3.
The Celtics have won the two head-to-head meetings against the Mavericks in the regular season, 119-110 at Dallas on Jan. 23 (AEST) and then 138-110 in Boston on March 2 (AEST).
The Mavericks didn’t have an answer for Tatum; he had 39 points in the January game, 32 in the March matchup. The Celtics didn’t have an answer for Doncic; he had triple-doubles in both games – 33 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists in January, then 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in March.
Those games won’t mean much now.
“This group believes,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who played for the Dallas team that won a title in 2011.
“They believe in each other. … This is a special group.”
The Celtics are seeking their 18th title overall, which would break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in NBA history, and their first championship since 2008.
Dante Exum handles the ball. NBAE via Getty Images
Against the Warriors two years ago, the championship experience of Golden State prevailed. Lessons were learned then, Boston has insisted since, and the Celtics will get a chance to finish the season differently this time.
“It’s a new challenge. It’s a different situation,” Celtics center Al Horford said. “I’m just excited to be in this position and to have this opportunity.”
The Celtics will have spent more than a week without a game before the finals start. Joe Mazzulla said all that downtime won’t be spent idly.
“Nothing’s really valuable if you let it go to waste,” Mazzulla said.
“Between now and June 6th, we have to take every experience that we’ve been through, and we’ve got to make sure we take advantage of it and that we utilise it to put ourselves in the best position to win.”
