The NBA has seen a youth movement in recent years, and that will be evident in the second-round playoff matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. Despite being one of the youngest teams in the NBA, the Thunder earned the one-seed this 2023-24 season. Meanwhile, the Mavericks are led by a 25-year-old superstar in Luka Doncic. Only one of these teams will be able to advance to the Western Conference Finals, and in this article, we will preview their second-round matchup.
Where is the Thunder vs. Mavericks series?
The Thunder are the top seed in the Western Conference, which means they will have homecourt advantage over the Mavericks. Games 1, 2, 5, and 7 will be at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Mavericks will host Games 3, 4, and 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
How to watch Thunder vs. Mavericks
Game 1: Mavericks @ Thunder on Tuesday, May 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET – TNT
Game 2: Mavericks @ Thunder on Thursday, May 9 at 9:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 3: Thunder @ Mavericks on Saturday, May 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC
Game 4: Thunder @ Mavericks on Monday, May 13 at 9:30 p.m. ET – TNT
Game 5: Mavericks @ Thunder on Wednesday, May 15 – TNT
Game 6: Thunder @ Mavericks on Saturday, May 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 7: Mavericks @ Thunder on Monday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET – TNT
Thunder storylines
The Thunder roster has an average age of only 23.4 years old. Such a young team doesn't usually thrive in the postseason right away, but Oklahoma City is changing that narrative. The team swept their first-round opponent, the New Orleans Pelicans. Things won't be easier against the Mavericks, but the Thunder proved they have the talent to cause problems in the playoffs despite their lack of postseason experience.
Oklahoma City's entire starting lineup is 25 years old or younger. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a finalist for the NBA MVP, Chet Holmgren is a finalist for the Rookie of the Year Award, and Jalen Williams has emerged into a legitimate co-star in only his second season. Additionally, Lu Dort is an elite defensive player, and Josh Giddey is the glue that holds it together because of his versatility.
The Thunder have quickly transitioned from being a rebuilding team to a legitimate title contender. Because of that, head coach Mark Daigneault was named the Coach of the Year this season. With their win over the Pelicans, the Thunder actually became the youngest team to ever win a playoff series.
Because of their youth, many fans are still expecting an inevitable heartbreak to come the Thunder's way before they truly find postseason success. However, this OKC team might simply be built different. They have a fluid offense, they can hit shots, they play tough defense, and they have a tight knit group that love to play together. They have proven that they can win against anyone all season long, and it will be interesting to see if that continues in the second round of the postseason.
Mavericks storylines
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't the only player in this series who is a finalist for the MVP award. While Neither Oklahoma City's star or Dallas's best player are expected to win the award (Nikola Jokic is the favorite), Luka Doncic is one of the three finalists for the NBA's most prestigious regular season award.
Doncic nearly averaged a triple-double in the regular season while also leading the league in scoring. Alongside Doncic in Dallas' backcourt is Kyrie Irving, one of the most skilled players ever and one of the best NBA point guards of all time.
Dallas has tried to find the right pieces to stick around Doncic for years, and it seems like they have finally found the right ones this year. Great athletes and defenders, including Derrick Jones Jr., Dereck Lively, Josh Green, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford all play their roles well for Dallas, the latter two of whom weren't added until the trade deadline this year.
Since that trade deadline, the Mavericks have been one of the hottest teams in the sport. In fact, they won 16 of their last 20 regular season games, and that hot stretch has carried over into the postseason. While their first round opponent–the Los Angeles Clippers–did have some injury issues in their series against Dallas, they were still a team with multiple stars who had a lot of potential to make a deep playoff run.
The Clippers had an aging roster, though, and Oklahoma City is anything but old. They are going to be hungry to prove themselves, so Dallas will need to play their best basketball in order to win this series. The Thunder and Mavericks' second-round series is one of the most anticipated of the playoffs so far. So, who do you think will come out victorious?
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