One key gamble is the top reason Mavericks are heading to NBA Finals

The Dallas Mavericks have officially booked a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, and all eyes are on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Dallas was a team that many people expected to miss the playoffs before the season started, and they are proving everyone wrong as these playoffs progress. The Mavs defense is truly one of the best in the NBA, and they are showing that every game.

Irving and Doncic's commitment to compete on that end of the floor has helped lead to this Finals berth, but another key gamble helped Dallas be one of the top two teams in the NBA that no one is really talking about.

Gamble for Kyrie Irving is top reason Mavericks are heading to NBA Finals

During the middle of last season, the Mavs traded Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, a first-round pick, and multiple second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Kyrie Irving and Markieff Morris. This move was considered a huge gamble at the time, and ESPN even ranked this trade as a D, but the Mavs never thought this trade was a gamble or risky.

Nico Harrison said that he thought it would have been a risk to not trade for Irving, and the Mavs have believed in Irving since the day they traded for him.

Dallas ended up missing the playoffs last season, and while some doubted the fit between Doncic and Irving long-term in Dallas, the Mavs never did.

They doubled down and made another move that could be considered a gamble by some and re-signed Irving to a three-year deal, and it has been more than worth it. Trading for Irving and then not re-signing him wouldn't have made much sense for Dallas considering that he and Doncic's on-court fit was questionable during their first year together, but once again, this gamble paid off.

Doncic and Irving have been one of the best duos in the NBA all season long, and they are even entering the conversation of being one of the best backcourt duos of all time. This has largely been because of their increased chemistry, and this duo truly loves being around each other.

Doncic always talks about how much he loves having Irving as his teammate, and they truly bring the best out of each other. Irving and Doncic reportedly hang out often, and sometimes go out on long dinners together. Having Irving in this locker room has worked wonders for both of them, and Irving and Doncic are thriving on the biggest stage.

Although trading for Irving and then re-signing him may have seemed like a gamble at the time to some, it's clear that the Mavs made the right move here.

For all the latest on Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Finals, stay tuned.