How the Dallas Mavericks rebuilt themselves into a championship contender | Good Word with Goodwill

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On this episode of the Good Word with Goodwill, Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by The Athletic’s Dallas Mavericks beat reporter Tim Cato to talk about all of the changes the team has gone through over the past three years.

Since losing to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have changed their owner, general manager, head coach and pretty much everyone on the roster not named Luka Doncic. Vinnie and Tim talk about the adjustments that were made, and the patience that was needed, to make it all work and for the team to succeed at this level.

The guys preview the NBA Finals, including how both offenses seem to force both defenses to play a way that they’re not totally comfortable.

Dereck Lively II may be a rookie, but he’s one of the most important and impactful players for Dallas in this series. How he defends on the perimeter might be the key to the Mavericks slowing down the Celtics offense.

Kyrie Irving has a long and tumultuous history with Boston, but Tim argues that growth and maturity have brought Kyrie to a place where he won’t be rattled by whatever the Boston fans yell at him.

The health of former Dallas Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis, who hasn’t played in almost six weeks, might be the key to the whole series. If he can move his feet and hit deep threes, it makes it almost impossible for the Mavericks to defend the Celtics the way they want to.

Before wrapping the show, Tim gives his (admittedly biased) prediction on what will happen in the 2024 NBA Finals between the Mavericks and Celtics.

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