The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz in the first round of the postseason. Luka Doncic and the Mavs have made the postseason before but Luka has yet to make any kind of deep playoff run. But this is a different Dallas team than year's past and they have a shot at making some noise moving forward. However, they will face their most daunting challenge yet as they gear up to take on the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Can the Mavs upset the mighty Suns? Or is Phoenix destined to advance?
The Mavericks feature plenty of firepower and hold upset potential. NBA legend Magic Johnson seems to believe in this Dallas squad as well.
And in the West, Phoenix has to watch out for Dallas. The Mavericks have enough offensive firepower to upset the Suns!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 29, 2022
The Mavs will look to prove Magic Johnson right and upset the Suns in what should be an incredibly entertaining series.
3 Bold Mavericks Western Conference Semifinals Predictions
Dallas Forces 7 Games
The Suns are the favorites in this series. They were the best team during the regular season and feature an extremely deep roster. Devin Booker also returned from injury earlier than expected. Phoenix is the team to beat in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with the NBA's best record.
With all of that out of the way, Dallas is going to push the Suns to the brink. Luka Doncic is incredible and Jalen Brunson has been productive in the postseason. But the Mavs also feature a surprisingly deep roster.
Players such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Reggie Bullock have all played prominent roles for Dallas. In fact, Jason Kidd went as far as to say Bullock was the unsung hero of the Mavericks' series clinching Game 6 victory over Utah.
With the star power of Doncic, stability of Brunson, and depth of the roster, the Mavs should be able to push this series to 7 games.
Luka Doncic Averages 30 Points in the Series
Luka Doncic played well in the Jazz series after returning from injury. But he might be in line for an even bigger performance against Phoenix, as the Mavs will need him to score at a high rate if they want to upset the Suns. He will also have to deal with one of the NBA's most talented defenders in Mikal Bridges. However, Luka has the ability to score on anybody regardless of their skill level.
Expect Luka to be more aggressive on offense than he was against the Jazz. Doncic is going to attempt to carry the Mavs to a series win over the Suns.
Maxi Kleber will be the 3rd Most Valuable Mavs' Player
Maxi Kleber is going to be a vital piece to the puzzle in this series. Jason Kidd displayed trust in him to handle the post for the majority of Game 6 against the Jazz. Despite not starting, Kleber played over 23 minutes and Dwight Powell just played 10.
Kleber may not score the third most points, but that isn't the bold prediction anyway. Instead, he will be the third most valuable asset to this team for one major reason.
Suns' big man Deandre Ayton is a a different breed of player than Rudy Gobert. Dallas was able to get away with Luka Doncic covering Gobert and implementing a small-ball lineup since Gobert isn't much of a scoring threat. But Ayton is an imposing big man who knows how to find the bottom of the net.
This means that the Mavs will need to utilize their big men on defense. Powell and Kleber will need to step up. But it seems as if Kleber has earned Jason Kidd's trust. As long as the playing time is there, the Suns need to be weary of Maxi Kleber.
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