The Golden State Warriors have the fancy nicknames.
The Splash Brothers, who have morphed into the Splash Triplets. They also are known as Lethal Weapon 3, according to national NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith.
That would be Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.
They make up Golden State’s three-guard attack-mode lineup that has, indeed, been quite lethal. During the regular season, they combined to average 64.4 points.
In the playoffs, it’s been 66.6 points per game.
The Mavericks don’t have any nicknames for their three counters to the Splash Triplets.
But they do have Luka Dončić, Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie.
All they did was combine for 89 points in the incredible Game 7 blowout of Phoenix Sunday to earn their trip to the Western Conference finals against the Warriors.
And, by the way, if you booked the Mavericks and Warriors in the Western Conference finals back in October, enjoy retirement.
Both teams are going to be constant about saying this is going to be about being the better team four times during the best-of-seven series that starts Wednesday night in San Francisco.
But it’s going to be riveting to see how the Mavericks’ young guard trio handles the obvious matchup intrigue that comes with going against Golden State’s mostly proven, grizzled veterans.
“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Brunson said late Sunday on the way to the Mavericks’ bus after winning Game 7. “I think the Warriors are one of the best teams at not making it about themselves. They don’t really care who gets the credit. That’s what’s made them special for almost the past decade. It’s going to be tough. I’m excited for the challenge. We’ll be ready.”
Brunson, Dončić and Dinwiddie couldn’t quite match the numbers of the Warriors’
Trio. But they did average 60.5 points during the regular season and it’s been better in the playoffs: 67.6 points per game, which you may have noticed is a tick above what the Warriors troika has done in the postseason.
Brunson’s description of the Warriors – a team that isn’t afraid to defend and has no problem passing the credit around – sounds a lot like the Mavericks. Yes, they have a superstar in Luka. But he’s more about winning than his own numbers.
Are the Mavericks a little like a Warriors’ starter kit?
“It’s how we are,” Brunson said. “But I think we’re still growing. They obviously have won playing it that way. Obviously, we want to get to the level they were at for the past however many years.”
They might just be ahead of schedule, considering no one expected them to beat the Suns in the conference semis.
But here they are. And based purely off his performance in the first two series, Dončić again will be the best player in the series when he tees it up against the Warriors. He’s probably the best player left standing in the playoffs with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Ja Morant all exiting the playoffs early.
And Dončić is firing on all cylinders going while going this deep in the playoffs for the first time in his four-year career.
“He always tries to throw the first punches,” Brunson said. “He always has that killer instinct.”
And Luka is quick to credit Dinwiddie and Brunson for their contributions, particularly in Game 7.
“Everybody can turn it on at some point,” Dončić said. “This was a great win. Everybody played great. I can’t stop repeating that.”
Said coach Jason Kidd: “Spencer off the bench, goes for 30, X-factor and he’s on our side this evening.
“We have some special people in that locker room that believe in team. And a lot of times in this league, if you are a team, you find yourself winning games you’re not supposed to.”
And even if you don’t have a fancy nickname, you can be very, very special, as the Mavericks are showing in this impressive playoff run.
Now, the goal is not to get too far ahead of themselves. The Mavericks have overachieved this season. That’s not open to argument.
Can they now stay in the moment and not feel like they are playing with house money, but also realize they are here for a reason – because they’ve been darn good.
“It’s halfway there,” Brunson said. “We got a lot more games to play, a lot more games to win. We know they are going to be ready. They have the experience. They have everything.”
But in the playoffs, nicknames and reputations don’t win.
Watching how this next couple weeks unfolds for the Mavericks vs. Warriors is going to be very interesting for all involved.
Twitter: @ESefko
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