There have been some parallels between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Mavericks in their respective runs to the championship round of their respective leagues.
The Oilers, led by generational talent Connor McDavid, finally broke through, getting past the Western Conference gauntlet en route to their first Stanley Cup Final berth in 18 years. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, led by the transcendent Luka Doncic, recovered from last season’s disappointment and overcome a tough trio of teams, including the team that eliminated them back in 2020 and 2021, the Los Angeles Clippers, to lead the Mavs to the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately for fans of those teams, the similarities don’t end there. There was much excitement that two of the greatest players in their respective sports will finally get a chance to cement their legacy as champions, and both teams looked like they had momentum on their side after defeating two teams that were favored against them in the Conference Finals. But now, here the Oilers and Mavericks stand, both down 3-0, with Edmonton suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
What a sobering reality it is for the Oilers and Mavericks to come so close, yet finish so far of their respective goals. While it’s not over until their opponents, the Panthers and Boston Celtics, respectively, win four games, mounting a miracle comeback looks rather unlikely. Adding to this is the fact that fans on social media are relentless and don’t care about anyone’s feelings, then things aren’t looking so good for both teams, especially for their superstars, Connor McDavid and Luka Doncic.
In fact, some fans think that Connor McDavid is having a more disappointing series for the Oilers than Luka Doncic is for the Mavericks.
“McDavid [has been more disappointing] and it’s not even close Jonny. Luka is averaging 30+ points for funsies and the rest of his team isn’t showing up. McDavid has one assist through three games,” – @nyrangersmuse
Coming to within four wins away of a championship is always hard in any professional sport. There are no guarantees that either the Oilers or Mavericks make it this far again in the immediate future. But it’s not yet the end of the line for these two teams. They have to dig deep, especially Connor McDavid and Luka Doncic, as their championship hopes aren’t truly dead until the horn sounds in Game 4 and they’re down and out.
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