2024 Playoffs- 3rd Round: Minnesota Timberwolves - Dallas Mavericks- MAVS WIN 4-1!

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At first blush, my initial big questions:

- Can the Mavs front court of Gafford, Lively and PJ hold their own on the boards against Gobert, KAT and Naz?
- Can the Mavs find enough offense from the grab bag of THJ, Green, Exum and Hardy to combat what the Wolves get from Conley and NAW?
- What pair of "others" plays better, DJJ and PJ or McDaniels and Naz?
- Will Kai find a way to be aggressive for 4 quarters and make Ant work now that he likely gets to guard Conley instead of having to battle SGA and Williams?
- Will we see the healthier looking version of Luka we saw in Games 5 and 6 for a full series?  McDaniels is an elite defender but won't beat Luka up physically the way Dort tried to.
- Do the Mavs have an answer for the KAT, Naz minutes without Maxi?  Will Maxi make it back this series and if so, can he be effective against those lineups?


The obvious questions that are there in every series remain as well:

- Who shoots the 3 better?
- Who rebounds better?
- Who takes care of the ball better?

I think you covered almost everything here.  

I bet Luka is relieved to not have Dort guarding him anymore.  McDaniels is great but he's skinny and won't be able to push Luka around.  

I think we can stop worrying about officiating bias as well.  The NBA has no love for the Timberwolves and Ant doesn't get the same calls as SGA.  

This will be fun to watch.  It's been a great season regardless of what happens in the 3rd round.