The Dallas Mavericks clinched their first NBA Finals appearance since 2011 with a 124-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night.
The star of Dallas' last championship team in 2011, Hall of Fame big man Dirk Nowitzki, took to social media to express his excitement over the Mavericks' victory.
"Finals!!! Let's go!" Nowitzki posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Finals!!! Let’s go!
Thanks to play of stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, who scored 36 points apiece in Game 5, the Mavericks cruised to a big lead and never looked back. Dončić was particularly impactful to building the lead for Dallas, as he scored 20 of his 36 points in the first quarter, as the Mavericks took a 35-19 advantage into the second.
The appearance in this summer's NBA Finals clearly means a lot to Nowitzki, and should mean a lot to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as well. Kidd was the point guard on Dallas' 2011 title team alongside Nowitzki, and now as a coach played a key role in bringing the franchise back to the NBA Finals.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday, June 6 at 8:30 p.m. ET in Boston.
MIKE MCDANIEL
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