DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks clinched the 2023-24 Western Conference title over the Minnesota Timberwolves -- their third conference championship in team history (2006, 2011) -- but they weren't able to being home the Larry O'Brien.
They fell to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, 4-1, ending their season with a heartbreak but hope for this year. The Mavericks season tips off Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs.
During the off season Mavs General Manager Nico Harrison got busy signing new players to the roster.
"They just made the NBA Finals, and I think the team overall got better," said analyst Nick Angstadt. "You add four players, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Quinten Grimes, Spencer Dinwiddie, that should all help in their different ways."
Luka Doncic was cleared to play in Thursday's game after sitting out the entirety of preseason games due to a calf contusion.
"They want to make sure he's really healthy, and I think that they're going to be really careful with his minute load for these games," said Angstadt. "You also want to make sure that he's healthy going into that playoff run, because he was not this past year, they still made the NBA Finals. But let's see what we can do with a healthy Luka Doncic next season."
The Mavericks and the Spurs tip off Thursday at 6:30 p.m., at American Airlines Center.
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