Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are headed to the NBA Finals after getting past the Minnesota Timberwolves in five Western Conference Finals games.

After being named Western Conference Finals MVP, Doncic seemed to offer up his award to fellow Mavericks teammate Dereck Lively II, per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post.

Lively was massive for the Mavericks in the series. Despite missing Game 4 with a strained neck, the rookie big man showed up time and time again for Dallas. In the series, Lively shot 16-16 from the floor and averaged just under eight rebounds per game. While those aren't exactly Doncic numbers, Lively showed up big for his team with timely put back dunks, offensive boards, and physical defense.

Of course, Luka wasn't too bad himself. He scored 36 points in the Mavericks' closeout of the Timberwolves and averaged 32.4 points per game in the series. Kyrie Irving, after a poor shooting Game 4, also scored 36 for Dallas in Game 5.

Mavericks face Celtics in NBA Finals

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) in the second half at TD Garden.
© David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

With the Mavericks advancing to face the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, a major storyline is going to be Kyrie Irving taking on his old club.

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Irving probably will not receive a warm reception when the Mavs play in Boston. On TNT, Kyrie was asked about playing his old team in the NBA Finals after Dallas' Game 5 victory on Thursday.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Irving responded when asked if he's looking forward to playing against the Celtics in Boston. “I mean, Boston is in the way between our goal.”

Of course, Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis was also a member of the Dallas Mavericks recently, so it will be interesting to watch these two stars go against their former teams.

But ultimately, the Mavericks go as Luka goes. If he continues to play at the level that he did in the Western Conference Finals, Dallas will be difficult to contain. It certainly won't be easy. The Celtics – like the Timberwolves before them – are an excellent rotating defensive team that also features standout individual defenders. But Luka and the Mavericks showed that they are able to handle that pressure without breaking.

The 2024 Celtics may be the favorite to win the NBA Finals after a dominant regular season and a relatively impressive postseason. After all, they have assembled a lethal top six of players who are adept on both ends of the floor – including Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Kristaps Porzingis' return only serves to make things more difficult for the Mavericks.

But with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the way, the Mavericks have shown that anything is possible.