By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
The Dallas Mavericks couldn’t overcome experience and championship pedigree,
losing to the Golden State Warriors 109-100 and falling into a 0-3 hole in the
Western Conference Finals Sunday evening at American Airlines Center.
The Mavs defeated the Phoenix Sun 4 games to 3 in a best of 7 semifinals series to
make it to the WCF for the first time since they won the 2011 NBA Championship.
However, they have found themselves facing an elite experienced, championship
Warriors team loaded with superstars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson,
Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole.
Simply put, the Warriors have proven to be too much for a feisty Mavs team that
appears to have just run out of gas as the playoffs stretch on.
“They are a team of runs and they went on a run. They’ve been here before,” said
Jason Kidd, Mavs head coach. “This wasn’t their best game, but they found a way
to win.”
“We just need to get ready for Game 4. This is all we can do,” Kidd continued but
added a touch of optimism to his postgame comments. “But this is the beginning of
the journey. This is a lot bigger than one game or one series. This is huge for our
franchise (being in the Western Conference Finals)
“None of you had us here. This is cool to go through this. This isn’t the end, it’s
the beginning of the journey. We’ll be ready to go in Game 4. We believe we will
get better.”
Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night at American Airlines Center at 8 p.m.
Mavs Bench Fined Again
Earlier Sunday the NBA fined the Mavs for the third time in a week for what is
essentially excessive bench celebrations.
The Mavs were $50,000 for “violating league rules regarding team bench
decorum,” said Byron Spruell, President, NBA League Operations. The amount of
Dallas’ fine also reflects prior infractions of team bench decorum rules in the 2022
NBA playoffs.
According to the league office, “On multiple occasions, several players and a
member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team
bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the
playing court during game action in the Mavericks’ 123-90 victory over the
Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of their conference semifinal playoff series May 15 at
Footprint Center.”
