After the Golden State Warriors easily won Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, many expected the Mavs to bounce back and make this series at least somewhat competitive.
Dallas jumped out to a big lead early in Game 2, and it looked like the matchup would perhaps be an interesting one.
But the Warriors mounted a massive comeback and took the contest, 126-117.
On Sunday, the Mavs returned home and looked to get on the board in this series.
But other than Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson, no one else on the team could seemingly throw a marble in the Gulf of Mexico, and they fell, 109-100.
Game 3 final: Warriors 109, Mavericks 100
-Curry 31 and 11a, Wiggins 27 and 11r
-Formula: Dogged defense, timely offense and exploiting a dog-tired opponent
-They want the sweep, because they understand the value of resting and re-setting— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) May 23, 2022
With a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Warriors are making it clear that they are poised to win the NBA championship, and they are starting to look like the best team in basketball.
The Warriors Have Been Coming Together
Even when the team got off to an 18-2 start this season, plenty of people weren’t sure about Golden State or its chances of winning it all.
Klay Thompson still hadn’t returned from an ACL injury and torn Achilles, and the rest of the team, save for old standbys Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, was entirely different than it was the last time it had gone to the NBA Finals in 2019.
Andrew Wiggins was still being integrated into the Warriors’ system, while Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II, Damion Lee and Otto Porter were being developed into bench contributors.
After Thompson returned, the team struggled down the stretch, partly due to injuries to Curry and Green.
But once the playoffs started, the Warriors were healthy again, and at times, they looked outstanding in the first two rounds.
The under-manned Denver Nuggets, Golden State’s opponent in the opening round, didn’t know what hit them, and the Memphis Grizzlies were competitive for a couple of stretches, but they were just too young and injured to mount a serious challenge.
Golden State was just getting started, as the world is starting to see the best version of itself in the conference finals.
Not only has it shown its expected offensive excellence, but it has also locked down Doncic’s supporting cast.
He had another magnificent game on Sunday with 40 points, which came on the heels of a 42-point performance in Game 2.
But other than him, Brunson, and Spencer Dinwiddie, no one else managed to get into double-figures for Dallas.
Reggie Bullock missed all 10 of his shot attempts in Game 3 while Maxi Kleber was 0-of-5 from the field.
Warriors have played box-and-one, hedge-on-switch to avoid mismatches and zones at the Mavs – basically everything under the sun and the Mavs can't seem to deal with that level of pressure. Stop telling me any team has a better defense than them. They're the best defensive team.
— Jim Park🏀🌌 (@Sheridanblog) May 23, 2022
The Warriors Are The Favorites To Win The World Championship
According to several sources, Golden State is now the easy favorite to win it all after its Game 3 triumph.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics have both looked impressive at times, but that series has thus far been marked by wild swings of momentum and a lack of lasting consistency.
The Celtics have an outstanding defense and a borderline superstar in Jayson Tatum, but they don’t have a true floor general, and perhaps the Warriors could exploit that in a Finals matchup.
Miami has the right mental makeup, but sometimes it appears to lack the offensive firepower needed to get over the hump, especially against an extremely talented opponent.
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