Can the Mavericks become the lowest seed since the 1995 Houston Rockets to win the NBA Finals?

The Dallas Mavericks had a shocking but impressive run to the 2024 NBA Finals. As the No. 5 seed, they eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder in six games. In the Western Conference Finals, they pulled off another upset by eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games.

If they beat the favored Boston Celtics, the Mavericks will claim their place as the second-lowest seed to win a league title, behind the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets won their second straight title in the 1995 Finals in a four-game sweep of the Orlando Magic, who entered the series as the league’s No. 1 team after a record 57 wins. at the time. The Rockets entered the Championship Series as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.

Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon won his second straight Finals MVP award, averaging 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Clyde Drexler, acquired by the Rockets in a midseason trade, averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists to win his first career title.

The one-two punch the Rockets have relied on during their championship run is similar to the dynamic duo the Mavericks used to clinch their third Finals appearance in franchise history.

During the Mavericks’ run to the Finals, Luka Doncic averaged 28.8 points on 43.8% shooting from the field, while Kyrie Irving averaged 22.8 points and 5.2 assists.

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