golden state warriors Forward Andrew Wiggins was instrumental in the Mavericks losing in the Western Conference Finals, according to Dallas owner Mark Cuban.
talk to Taylor Lukes on the Bleacher Report showCuban talked about how while the Mavericks had the talent to win the title, they failed to beat the Dubs due to lack of experience.
“I don’t think it was a lack of talent when they lost in the conference finals. The Warriors have been playing together for a long time, so their execution was phenomenal, so I think they deserve a lot of credit,” he said. “…it’s not so much talent as corporate knowledge, it’s years of playing together and the experience of being in a crisis situation where you knew what to do.”
Cuban not first on losing team He underestimated the Warriors’ talentIn Cuban’s version, it wasn’t Dubs’ star power that defeated the Mavs, but rather his ability to integrate Andrew Wiggins seamlessly.
“It was just guys who knew their roles, like Andrew Wiggins,” Cuban said. “I think he’s the one who beat us. And after the series I said to him, you know what we can expect from Clay, Steph and Draymond.” I didn’t know what to expect or how Wiggs would step up, but he did.”
This is especially high praise given how some people perceived Wiggins ahead of the series.
It’s also worth noting how much Wiggins needed to step up. The Warriors have lost Gary Payton II’s best perimeter his defender to injury in the previous round, not only lacking postseason experience but also losing his Morant halfway through the series. It took the Grizzlies six games to beat his team. Meanwhile, the Mavericks won the No. 1 seed in the West, where he won in seven games, and completely beaten them in the final game of the series. Dallas was a trendy choice for the Finals.
But Golden State shattered those predictions almost immediately. Wiggins keeps Doncic at worst offensive show in postseason (20 points on 6 of 18 shots). During his five-game series, he averaged 18.6 points per game and he averaged 7.2 rebounds, the Warriors’ dunk of the seasonAccording to the Mavs owner, the performance was enough to get him compliments from Cuban, which Wiggins appreciated.
“He said ‘thank you man’ and went to celebrate. ‘We’re going to the finals!’
