Mavericks beat Timberwolves to advance to NBA Finals; UEFA Champions League final preview

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up here to receive it in your inbox every weekday morning.

🏀 Good morning to everyone, but especially to…

LUKA DONCIC, KYRIE IRVING AND THE WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION DALLAS MAVERICKS

The end of Game 4 saw Luka Doncic almost tore his sweater in frustration and Kyrie Irving loses his perfect record in closeout matches.

At the start of Game 5, they emphatically showed that this series was no longer going to continue. The Outsiders' star guard duo exploded for 36 points each (and outscored the Timber wolves 44-40 in the first half) as Dallas romped to a 124-103 victory to advance to the NBA Finals, where the Celts to wait.

What else can we say about Doncic? He is a stone-cold killer, a ruthless bully who can take down any match and destroy any defensive mistake. He dissected the best defense in the league with 32.4 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game and 8.2 assists per game and won the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP.

However, he wasn't just the best player in the conference finals. Doncic stakes his claim as the best player in the leaguewrites Sam Quinn.

• Quinn: “He has ticked all the boxes so far. He was the league's top scorer this season. His defense has improved significantly, from outright bad to passable and even good in the right contexts. His pick-and-roll mastery has historic values reaches.” Minnesota threw every conceivable coverage at him in the Western Conference finals. He has been the best lob passer in NBA history for years. That could change in the coming weeks.”

But it's not just Doncic. The Mavericks have made bold moves, and fortune favors the daredevils.

• Irving rededicated himself to the defensive end and became a more natural fit offensively in his second year alongside Doncic.
• Dallas lost the last two games of last season to increase the chances of keeping their first-round pick. They kept it and got it Dereck Vivid IIwho has been instrumental.
• The Mavericks were willing to admit it Grant Williams was a poor fit and acquired not one but two contributors at the trade deadline PJWashington And Daniel Gafford. In Lively and Gafford, Doncic has the lob threats he thrives on, and in Washington, Dallas acquired a capable three-point shooter and a two-way wing.

And now we are here. The Mavericks, with their superstar backcourt and strong offense surrounding it, are four games away from a championship. What a run, one that is far from over.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏀 And not such a good morning for…

THE MINNESOTA TIMBER WOLVES

First, let's give the Timberwolves their due. They had the best defense in the NBA. They built a team with the Defensive Player of the Year and the Sixth Man of the Year. And in a highly competitive Western Conference, they won 56 games, the second most in franchise history.

In the postseason they destroyed a star-studded one Sun tanning team in four games and eliminated the defending champions Gold nuggets at seven. They looked Anthony Edwards become a star. They won multiple playoff series for the first time since 2004. It was perhaps the franchise's most successful season ever.

Losing in five games doesn't change that, but it certainly doesn't feel good. And it shows that the difference between a really good team and a championship-caliber team is as much in the small margins — Minnesota lost its first two games by a combined four points — as it is in the vast, vast oceans.

Game 5 showed that the Timberwolves need more firepower. Edwards is electric, but he's not rather face-of-the-league still good, writes Brad Botkin. And Karl-Anthony Cities was nowhere to be found for much of the series, another failure in a suspect playoff resume. That – plus a very expensive roster – will lead to trade rumorsSam notes.

• Quinn: “If the Timberwolves made it Jaden McDaniels ($22.5 million salary for next season), Naz Reid ($14 million) or Mike Conley ($10 million) available in cap dumps, they would have a line of suitors nearby. … Rudy Gobert is the defensive player of the year on a team designed to win defensively. He's not going anywhere. Edwards is the face of the franchise. That pretty much leaves Towns alone. … Minnesota's problem is not unique. Half the league is panicking about the contracts it handed out before this new CBA made them toxic. The sport is changing, and no one knows exactly what it is changing into. “The only thing we can say for sure is that winning a championship with a max player performing in the playoffs, as Towns did against Dallas, is functionally impossible.”

For a team that is coming off a great season and has so much young talent, Minnesota has a lot of questions this season.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏒 Panthers leave Rangers on the brink of elimination

The Panthers will go home with the chance to punch their ticket to a second straight appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Florida stunned a rowdy crowd at Madison Square Garden, who gathered past them and then held the crowd at bay Rangers3-2, to take a 3-2 series lead.

• After a scoreless first period, New York took the lead early in the second on a shorthand Chris Kreider break away. It was the Rangers' sixth shorthanded goal this postseason, the most since 2008 red wings.
• The visitors lost little time in hitting back Sam Bennett a perfect pass to slide towards Gustav Forslingwhich ended with a silky smooth backhand.
• Anton Lundell gave Florida a 2-1 lead midway through the third period Igor Shesterkinand Bennett's empty-netter made it 3-1. Alexis Lafreniere replied with 50 seconds left to give the Rangers some life, but it proved to be too little too late.
• Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 25 of 27 shots and stood especially tall against New York's power play, while Shesterkin was an unlucky loser after stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced.

⚽ UEFA Champions League final preview

It all comes down to this. One of the most unlikely finalists in recent history against the club steeped in most UEFA Champions League glory. Borussia Dortmund faces Real Madrid with the title “Champions of Europe” on the line tomorrow at the historic Wembley Stadium, where it hosted many incredible finals. You can watch on CBS and/or Paramount+, and we've got you spread over different broadcasts throughout the day.

Real Madrid has 14 Champions League titles (we ranked them all), and Pardeep Cattry predicts they'll get issue 15 tomorrow. We have full expert predictions here.

If Borussia Dortmund wants to join the list most unlikely winners everthey will need it Gregor Kobel to continue his brilliant goalkeeping work. History says goaltending heroics rarely carry over to titlesbut don't count the underdogs out, notes Chuck Booth.

• Position: “While it makes sense that goalkeepers under too much pressure rarely win the Champions League final, Borussia Dortmund would be the perfect team to break that. They have defied expectations every step of the way during their Champions League run , but with one of the best goalkeepers in league history standing on the other side of the pitch, Kobel will have to be on his game and beat a few more Thibaut Courtois in the final.”

Here's more:

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🏒 Game 5: Oilers at Stars8:30 PM on TNT

Saturday

🏀 Heaven for feverafternoon on ESPN
⚽ UEFA Champions League Final: Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid3 p.m. on CBS and Biggest+
⚽ USWNT vs South Korea5 p.m. on TNT, truTV
⚾ Angels at Mariners or Red at Cubs or Cardinals at Phillies7:15pm on Fox
🏒 Game 6: Rangers at Panthers8pm on ABC

Sunday

⚾ Cardinals at Phillies7pm on ESPN2
🏀 Wings at Lynx7pm on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Fever at Liberty7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Game 6: Stars at Oilers8 p.m. on TNT