The former Duke big man is thriving with the Mavs.
Dereck Lively has been one of the better rookies this NBA season and that has continued in the playoffs.
He had a rough spring though. He overcame an injury before having a much more difficult situation when his mother, who had battled cancer for years, passed away. It was more difficult still because they were very close.
One of our favorite things about Lively is that he’s always been a team-first guy. He’s come off the bench in the playoffs and that’s worked out pretty well for Dallas. In Game 5, he had 11 points and 10 rebounds and he’s done an effective job of jamming up the middle.
One of the funnier things we’ve seen in the playoffs this year was Chet Holmgren deciding to foul Lively to put Dallas on the line. Lively just sped up and darted away from him. Holmgren is not slow either but he was lunging try to catch Lively and simply couldn't do it. It’s pretty funny to watch.
Lively and Dallas could wrap up their series Saturday night with a win at home. That would put them in the Western Conference finals against either Denver or Minnesota. If they both make it, that ensures that a Brotherhood member will be in the Finals - Wendell Moore is a T-Wolf - and possibly against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics.
