There are various important factors to monitor throughout the Dallas Mavericks' Western Conference Finals matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
are set to play out a hard-fought series in the Western Conference Finals. There’s a lot to unpack before Game 1 gets underway on Wednesday at Target Center.
There wasn’t a better defensive team during the regular season than the Timberwolves. Not much needs to be said. Rudy Gobert is now a four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner. They’ve only improved from that 108.4 defensive rating to having a 107.6 defensive rating in the postseason. Jaden McDaniels was named to the All-Defensive Second Team. Minnesota has plenty of talent around them, as well.
Irving needs to be an instrumental element of the Mavericks’ offensive attack. He’s proven highly effective as an offensive threat in general, but in terms of schematic conversation, he’s a menace against drop coverage and when playing out of side actions. Putting him into actions to attack Gobert in drop coverage for pull-ups, whether from the perimeter or short-range, would be a good way for Irving to get into a rhythm if Minnesota will continue to live with it.
Karl-Anthony Towns could pose problems for the Mavericks, considering the lack of depth they face at the four spot, with Maxi Kleber remaining sidelined due to a shoulder injury. They must live with 6-foot-7 Washington holding his own and ideally avoiding foul trouble without having a 6-foot-10 option off the bench to deploy next to Lively or Gafford.
The goal would be to find the right approach that makes it difficult for Gobert to protect the rim how he typically does. Dallas should still expect the low defender to rotate to the paint, especially if it’s Towns, leaving Jones in the weak-side corner if he’s spacing or above the break if he’s popping after being one of the screeners in double drag or Stack pick-and-roll.
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