Result: Dallas beat Oklahoma 100-96
What that means: Mavericks book their place in the NBA play-offs
How it happened: Dirk Nowitzki wrapped his hands around the silver ball trophy that goes to the Western Conference champions and smiled. After five years, he and the Dallas Mavericks are kings of their conference again, earning another trip to the NBA finals.
Yet Nowitzki didn’t flash the wide, toothy grin of someone relieved to have accomplished his goal. Because, he hasn’t.
Unless the Mavs win the next round, too, and become NBA champions for the first time, their whole glorious postseason — and that silver trophy — won’t mean as much. It’s a lament heard by many superstars, but Nowitzki’s indifference amid much of the frenzied celebration around him showed just how serious he is about it.
“I was already thinking about the finals,” he said.
“This is nice for a day, but we set our goals in October to win it all. We haven’t done it yet.”
Dallas capped their climb back to the NBA finals with a 100-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder last night that ended the Western finals in five games.
The young, up-and-coming Thunder made things tough on the older, now-or-possibly-never Mavericks as they had throughout the series. And, as he has throughout the postseason, Nowitzki made the plays that mattered most. His latest highlights: swishing a three-pointer with 1:14 left that put Dallas ahead and making a pair of free throws with 13.3 seconds left to seal it.
“It feels good to finally go back,” Nowitzki said. “This time, hopefully we can finish the job.”
The Mavs’ only other trip to the finals was in 2006. They were up 2-0, with a big, late lead in Game 3, but wound up losing to the Miami Heat in six games. They’d won only a single playoff series since until a tremendous run this postseason — going 12-3, with wins in 10 of the last 11 games, including a sweep of the two-time reigning champion Lakers.
Final flourish?
This Dallas team filled with veterans all seeking their first rings has been playing with what coach Rick Carlisle calls “a laser-like focus.” It showed when they clawed back from a 15-point deficit with 5:06 left in Game 4, and again in this game, when the Mavs were down by six with 4:37 left.
They outscored the Thunder 14-4 the rest of the way, with many of their most-accomplished players making the key plays: Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry.
“It goes to our veteran leadership, our experience, us being in every possible situation we could possibly be in,” said Terry, who along with Nowitzki are the only holdovers from the ’06 team. “We know what we’re going through offensively and defensively. We know we have to get stops and we’re able to do that. When you have that belief and that trust in what you’re doing it’s just a confidence and more times than not you’re going to be successful.”
Funny thing is, like 2006 Dallas could face Miami again. Fans seem to hope so, chanting “Beat the Heat!” so loudly after owner Mark Cuban spoke on-court that they drowned out the interview.
LeBron James and Miami lead the Chicago Bulls 3-1 in the Eastern Conference finals. If the Heat win tonight, the finals will begin Tuesday in Miami. If the Bulls win Thursday night, the finals will begin next Thursday in the East winner’s city.
- additional reporting AP
