The Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of making the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Up 3-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the Play-In last season, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, and crew appear to be heading toward an epic, star-studded clash with the Boston Celtics.
With one more win, Dallas will join the 2019-2020 Miami Heat as the only team to make the finals as a five-seed. The Mavs will be the first to do it in a non-pandemic-impacted season.
One of the main reasons for their postseason success is their trade deadline moves. Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington’s acquisitions have helped beef up the team defensively, give Dončić one of the best passers in the NBA, another lob option, and help the team form more of an identity.
Dallas also got rid of Grant Williams at the deadline, which has been a positive for them. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that he “rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.”
The Mavericks had the fourth-best record in the NBA after the All-Star break, going 18-9 down the stretch, propelling them to the number-five seed and 50 wins in the always competitive Western Conference.
Suns fans may look at Dallas’ run with optimism, seeing another lower seed make a deep playoff run, giving them the belief that Phoenix could be the next one to do it. That route the Suns cannot take to win a championship.
Considering Phoenix’s financial situation, outside of trading Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, or Kevin Durant, which is not on the table right now, the Valley can’t make a significant move that significantly elevates their title chances.
The most success the Suns have had during the Devin Booker era is when they won a lot of games in the regular season. Throughout the 2020-2021 regular season, Phoenix established a winning culture to rely on in series-altering playoff games. Game four of the first-round Suns-Lakers series is a strong example of Phoenix’s winning culture that season.
Down 2-1 in the series with Chris Paul playing hurt, the Valley muscled out a 100-92 victory that ignited a nine-game postseason winning streak en route to a finals appearance.
All Suns fans remember Anthony Davis got hurt in that game, changing the series and putting it in the Suns’ favor. Considering the circumstances, on the road against LeBron James, the victory was an example of a resilient winning culture established.
Most finals teams establish a winning culture throughout the regular season. Almost all championship teams win many games en route to a title.
“You must win 40 games before you lose 20 to be seen as an elite team,” Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson once said.
Only three of the last 30 NBA champions won their 40th game after losing their 20th. The Eastern Conference Champion is days or hours away from officially being the Boston Celtics, a team that lost 18 games this season. Dallas lost their 20th game of the year with only 24 wins on their resume.
According to NBA history, Boston will most likely win the title with Dallas coming up short. For the Suns to win their first championship, they should get on the (b)right side of the sun of history. The focus should be on winning as many regular season games as possible next season.