2024 Western Finals: Dallas Returns to the Finals After 13 Years

The 2024 Western Finals matched Dallas against Minnesota. Many favored the Timberwolves’ Edwards and twin towers, but Dončić sent Dallas back to the Finals.

He was dominant all series. In Game 2 he posted 32 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to steal a road win; overall he neared 30 a game and orchestrated Irving, Washington and Gafford into a flowing offense.

Dallas closed Minnesota 4-1, returning to the Finals for the first time since Nowitzki’s 2011 title — a generation’s wait for Dallas fans.

Dončić’s maturity stood out. No longer just a stat-core, he trusted teammates through traps, defended harder, and steadied crunch time. His two-core tandem with Kyrie Irving became the West’s sharpest blade.

In the Finals they met the loaded Celtics and fell 1-4, but Dončić was superb: a 27-point triple-double in Game 3 proved he stays elite on the biggest stage.

The 2024 run is a key station on his road. It proved he can carry a team to the doorstep of glory and showed what the last piece needs. As he said after the West clinch: "This is just the beginning." From Madrid to Dallas, this Finals floor is only his first championship ambition.

Related Reading

• The 2018 No. 3 Pick: Dončić and the Trae Young Blockbuster
• Luka Dončić: The European Prodigy’s Path to NBA Greatness
• 73 Points in 2024: A Mavericks Franchise Record
• Lead-Guard Core and Triple-Double Machine: The All-Around Beast
• The Youngest-Record Harvester: Dončić’s Historic Milestones