The Golden State Warriors proved to the world what championship pedigree means in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. They completely outplayed the Dallas Mavericks, who are the fairy-tale team of the playoffs after a shocking series win over the league-leading Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors walked out with the Game 1 win at home by a score of 87-112, as the Mavs couldn’t match up on either side of the ball. The Mavericks couldn’t get shots to fall, and the Warriors did a great job of not letting the Mavericks get easy looks around the rim. The Warriors, on the other hand, got their best looks in the paint and near the rim as they exploited the lack of an interior defender on the Mavericks.
Considering the Mavs’ story, many were picking them to upset the Warriors because of Luka’s all-world talent. However, Luka’s disastrous second-half performance that saw him score only 2 points and have 6 turnovers is an indicator of how outmatched the Mavericks were. This is what people around the association had to say:
This isn’t the Phoenix Suns. You’re no longer playing that team. This is championship level basketball. pic.twitter.com/uas0lPd8at
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 19, 2022
Steph Top 10 EVER!!! Idc What You Say!!! 😤
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) May 19, 2022
What I appreciate about The Mavs is they let you know within the first 15 mins that they’re going to lose the game. Makes for a pretty stress-free second half.
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) May 19, 2022
The silver lining for the Mavericks: At least their bench isn't going to get fined for violating decorum tonight.
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) May 19, 2022
Dallas and Boston both played Game 7’s and looked real flat as the game 1’s progressed!
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) May 19, 2022
WHOLE MAVS ROSTER
— r/Mavericks (@redditmavericks) May 19, 2022
The Mavs are allergic to suspense lately. Every game, good or bad, is a bloodbath. 😂
— (redacted) (@squish41) May 19, 2022
Bro said Luka better than curry 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 drug test this man 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
— Metro Boomin (@MetroBoomin) May 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/mgoIdermann/status/1527122863614046208
Alotta these Mavs fans really thought this Luka iso shit would be sweet against us. Wild
— Jay 🌉 (@LimitlessCurry) May 19, 2022
This was a feel out game for Luka. Friday he gonna know exactly what to do.
— LAbron23🐐👑 (@bronwick23) May 19, 2022
Wiggins clamping the shit out of Luka 😂
— jose ☔️ (@KlayForTrey) May 19, 2022
Andrew Wiggins is proof a player can change for the better. Right situation. Right mindset. All the loud criticism of his shot selection and defensive consistency is over.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 19, 2022
A lot of people need to apologize to Andrew Wiggins
— Brian Witt (@Wittnessed) May 19, 2022
Andrew Wiggins was made for the Western Conference Finals
— Grant Liffmann (@GrantLiffmann) May 19, 2022
Can't say enough about Wiggins and Looney on the defensive end of the floor.
— Bonta Hill (@BontaHill) May 19, 2022
The Mavericks generated good looks throughout the first half of the game but were met with a pitiful conversion rate. Even open shots were not going in for Dallas as they shot a pathetic 36% from the field and 22.9% from three. The Warriors also out-rebounded and out-hustled the Mavericks, beating them in almost every statistical category.
If the Mavericks hope to fight back, Jason Kidd needs to figure out the right adjustments as soon as possible, similar to how he did it against the Suns. The Warriors won’t give the Mavs any breathing room, so the road ahead is not easy.
The performance of Andrew Wiggins is a key indicator of the Warriors’ strategy, and how the Mavericks can stop players like him and Looney from having big games will determine how long this series actually ends up going.
