From the looks of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, it seems Dallas will stride through! After losing their previous matchup against Minnesota, the team is currently leading its rival in the third quarter by a score of 87-60. Thanks to the effort of Luka Doncic, this lead was established by a wide margin in the first quarter itself. His performance had Charles Barkley handing out a verdict even before the game was over!

On ‘Inside the NBA’, Barkley highlighted how disappointed the attendees in the Target Center would be over their home team’s performance in the first half. Chuck stated he would have liked to have been surprised, however, that feeling is now long gone thanks to their wide scoring margin. “When it’s an elimination game, you’re flying all over the place,” he said. “The Mavs are flying all over the place like they’re trying to get this thing over. I’m kind of… I’m at a loss for words how bad Minnesota looked that first half”.

Dallas ended their first quarter by putting up a score of 35-19. Luka Doncic himself had put up 20 of those points by going off 8-11 with his field goals. This marked the second time in his career that he secured 20 or more points within the first quarter. Along with his field goals, the Slovenian also dropped four 3-pointers, two of which came back-to-back. Despite the defensive efforts of Anthony Edwards and Co., Doncic kept showing that he was here to close down the Conference Finals series for good.

Luka Doncic trash talks and verbally spars with a Timberwolves fan

The Mavericks were expecting to face a rival crowd that would seldom cheer them on. After all, they were the team that had won three games in a row against the Wolves and needed just one more win to propel them to the NBA Finals. Luka Doncic and Co remained unphased, putting up 115-92 with just 3:27 minutes remaining on the clock. The adrenaline was rushing in the lead scorer, and he wanted the crowd to know it.

During the 3rd quarter, with the Mavs holding an 80-46 lead, Doncic was awarded a foul right as he had released the ball to drop a 2-pointer. This feat gave him the upper hand, using which he looked in the direction of a Timberwolves fan and shouted, “Yeah, who’s crying now mother****r?!”. According to reports, that fan was the same one who kept holding a towel and mocking the player for taking up his complaints to officials.

From a different angle, the fan could be seen being unfazed by Doncic’s words, and instead making a ‘cry-baby’ expression to further mock him. Well, the Mavericks just won the matchup by 124-103. This would’ve been enough to silence the fan.

The Dallas Mavericks will now take on the Boston Celtics in their first NBA Finals since the 2010-11 season. If the recent 21-point win is any indication, then fans will be assured knowing that the team won’t go down without a proper fight.