Mavericks' newest rivalry poised to ignite with Christmas Day clash

It's been a while since the Dallas Mavericks have had a true rival. A couple of the teams that can probably lay claim to that distinction are the Miami Heat because of the bitter NBA Finals battles and the San Antonio Spurs due to the franchises' proximity to one another and their intense playoff matchups in the 2000s.

Now that the Mavs are poised to be back in the NBA Finals next year or at least participate in the postseason in the following seasons, they could finally establish a rivalry with other squads.

Among the opponents that could develop into Dallas' archnemesis include the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. Those young teams are rising Western Conference powers who happened to bow out of the last playoffs courtesy of the Mavs.

Mavericks' rivalry with Wolves poised to ignite with Christmas Day clash

With the rumor that the Mavs and Wolves are on a collision course to meet in a Christmas Day showdown proving to be true after Shams Charania reported the Christmas Day slate of NBA games, the rivalry could quickly heat up and develop into a heated one. That would be especially true if they are going to be vying for a top spot in the Western Conference early in the 2024-25 campaign.

The game between Dallas and Minnesota on Christmas Day will be played at the American Airlines Center according to Charania, and this game is poised to be a great one.

Fans should expect an intense bout between the teams after their face-off in the conference finals.

That series wasn't even close, as Dallas finished it with a gentleman's sweep, including a 124-103 Game 5 beatdown of one of the league's best defenses.

Even so, the round saw plenty of interesting, fiery moments among the players — from Kyrie Irving and Anthony Edwards figuring in some mild war of words to Luka Doncic flaming Rudy Gobert following the Slovenian phenom's game-winner over the four-time Defensive Player of the Year in the second game.

The Wolves did manage to ruin Irving's previously perfect 14-0 record in closeout contests in the playoffs as a consolation. Still, the Mavs were able to assert their dominance against Minnesota in the series.

On Christmas Day this year, though, Edwards will certainly look to avenge his crew's postseason elimination at the hand of Dallas.

There is also the subplot of the possibly brewing rivalry between the Team USA standout and Doncic. The All-Stars are two of the greatest 25-and-under stars in the league at the moment and have been identified by many folks as candidates to be the face of the NBA.

Many fans will also be looking to what "Luka Magic" has in store as an encore after he poured in 50 points in the Mavs' Christmas Day victory over the Phoenix Suns in 2023.

For more updates about the Dallas Mavericks' 2024-25 campaign, stay plugged in.