Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II. Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Mavericks rookie completes wild playoff feat never done in history

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated May 31, 2024 1:04 AM ET

Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II was quite literally perfect throughout the Western Conference Finals.

The Mavericks completed a gentleman’s sweep of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 124-103 Game 5 victory at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Lively finished with nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in the elimination game

Lively’s unblemished shooting clip was no anomaly. The Mavericks rookie didn’t miss a single shot all series, going 16-of-16 in his four games played in the series. Lively set the record for the most shots without a miss in a playoff series in NBA history.

Dereck Lively II shot 16/16 FG in the Conference Finals.

That’s the most FGA without a miss in any playoff series in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/NbyIBIDDbG

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) May 31, 2024

The 20-year-old was absent Game 4 of the series — the only contest the Mavericks lost — after Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns accidentally kneed Lively in the back of the head in Game 3.

Given that Lively lives off putback dunks and lobs from Luka Doncic, it’s not hard to see how the rookie achieved the feat. But it’s still quite an impressive accomplishment given that the Timberwolves came into the series with the NBA’s best defense and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert manning the paint.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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