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The Dallas Mavericks-Oklahoma City Thunder Western Conference Semifinals matchup projects to be a competitive series. Dallas ended up earning the No. 5 seed in the West following a strong second-half of the regular season. Oklahoma City clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Upsetting the Thunder is going to be difficult. The Mavs will certainly need stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to lead the way. It’s worth noting that Luka is battling a knee injury, but he is still likely to play in Game 1.
Dallas will need other players to step up and also perform well. Maxi Kleber was playing a pivotal role for Dallas before suffering a shoulder injury in Game 6 of the Mavericks’ series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kleber’s status is now in question for the remainder of the playoffs.
With Kleber out, the Mavs centers will need to make an impact. Daniel Gafford or Dereck Lively II could be considered an X-factor for this series. But Kleber was one of the Mavs best three-point shooters during the Clippers series. He connected on over 55 percent of his long-range attempts.
Of course, Kleber did not shoot threes in high-volume. Still, his efficiency was important for a team that struggled overall from beyond the arc. Dallas has shot just 33.5 percent as a team from three-point range so far in the 2024 postseason, according to StatMuse.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is expected to return from his ankle injury against the Thunder. Hardaway is not the most consistent three-point shooter, but he’s capable of heating up quickly from deep. And that is why Hardaway’s three-point prowess is the Mavericks secret weapon for upsetting the Thunder.
Tim Hardaway Jr. set for important role in Mavericks-Thunder series
Hardaway averaged 14.4 points per game on 40.2 percent field goal and 35.3 percent three-point shooting during the 2023-24 campaign. He often takes three-point attempts in fairly high-volume. Hardaway averaged 7.6 three-point attempts per game during the regular season.
Hardaway enjoyed some big performances. He also had some forgettable games.
Hardaway is a player who may score 31 points on 7-11 three-point shooting one night, and then drop just seven points on 2-8 shooting from deep a few games later. Those are not random numbers either, as he recorded both of those performances within the same week in November.
But having a player on the roster who is not afraid to take shots from deep whether they are falling or not is important. Sure, it may be frustrating when he’s off his game. However, the Mavericks believe in Hardaway’s ability to play a pivotal role in winning.
The most important note to make is the fact that Dallas simply needs a spark with their three-point shooting. The Mavericks played a quality brand of defense, they found ways to score inside the three-point line, and Dallas utilized an all-around impressive effort to win the series against the Clippers.
If they can turn in a similar performance with improved three-point shooting against the Thunder, Dallas will end up having a tremendous opportunity to pull off the upset.
Again, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic will lead the charge. Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II will play crucial roles in the post for Dallas. Players such as PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. will impact winning without question.
However, the Mavericks’ chances of upsetting the Thunder will increase if Tim Hardaway Jr. can provide a spark with his three-point prowess.
More must-reads:
- Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
- Watch: Thunder go on 24-6 run to close out first half of Game 6 vs. Mavericks
- The 'Most triple-doubles in the postseason' quiz
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