A game of basketball involves two teams, each consisting of five players, attempting to score points by shooting a ball into the opponent's basket. - For the first time ever, the Dallas Mavericks make it to the NBA Finals without Nowitzki.
The Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals for the third time in their history and are set to play against the Boston Celtics.
After defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves with a score of 124-103 (69-40), the team clinched the Western Conference Final series with a 4-1 win. Dallas's star players, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, played a crucial role in their success, especially in the first half. The duo scored 44 points before the break, which was more than Minnesota could manage. The lead was also substantial in the third quarter, and Dallas eventually secured their victory.
Maxi Kleber, a 32-year-old player from Würzburg, is also making his debut in the NBA Finals along with Doncic. Unfortunately, the Mavericks have only reached the championship series twice before, with Dirk Nowitzki leading them. In 2006, they lost to the Miami Heat, and in 2011, they finally got their revenge with Jason Kidd, who is now the head coach of the Dallas team. Nowitzki, although no longer playing, was present at the game and celebrated excitedly: "Finals!!! Let's go!", he wrote on his social media account.
The first game of the Finals will take place on Friday morning around 2:30 a.m. (German time) in Boston. The Celtics, who had a phenomenal regular season, managed to secure their spot in the Finals by beating the Indiana Pacers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Final.
