One of the big reasons that Dallas was able to shut down the Oklahoma City Thunder in their second-round series was due to their presence in the paint, and a big part of that was the performance of Dereck Lively II in this series.
Lively II finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds in the Game 6 win, and his performance on both ends of the floor was huge in this series. These great playoff performances were preceded by a great regular season for Lively II, and his performance during the regular season was honored by him being voted onto the NBA’a All-Rookie Second Team.
This is an award voted on by the media, and Lively II talked about how grateful and honored he was to receive that award at practice, but it seems like he thinks he should have been on the All-Rookie First Team, not the second team.
Lively II reposted an Instagram post on his story from Shams Charania that showed the two teams, and Lively II’s caption below the post was “Damn they really don’t mess wit the Mavs.”
Lively II saying this obviously shows he thinks he should have been on the first team, and the media not siding with the Mavericks on awards is a trend that has happened often this season. The most obvious occurrence is Doncic getting robbed of the 2024 NBA MVP, but that’s not the only time a Mavs player has been robbed of an award this year.
Irving was one of the most clutch players in the NBA, but Stephen Curry received the Clutch Player of the Year award over him.
The media not liking the Mavs continued as Lively II was snubbed from the All-Rookie First Team, and him being the only player on either team that is still remaining in the playoffs is telling. Lively II started 42 games for a Western Conference Finals team, and his impact down low strengthened a weak spot on the Mavs roster that had hurt them for a long time.
The media not liking the Mavs continued into most everyone’s Western Conference Finals predictions, as the Timberwolves have been the popular pick. Even former Mavs shooting guard Vince Carter picked Minnesota to win.
The media being against the Mavs is nothing new, and Lively II will have the chance to prove they made a mistake with a big performance in the Western Conference Finals.
For all the latest on Dereck Lively II and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.
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