The Mavericks' newest rivalry could flare up with the Christmas Day clash

It's been a while since the Dallas Mavericks have had a true rival. Some teams that can probably claim that title are the Miami Heat due to their fierce battles in the NBA Finals and the San Antonio Spurs due to the franchises' closeness to each other and their intense playoff duels in the 2000s.

Now that the Mavs are expected to return to the NBA Finals next year, or at least participate in the postseasons in subsequent seasons, they may finally be developing a rivalry with other teams.

Among the opponents that could become Dallas' arch-enemies are the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. These young teams are up-and-coming top teams in the Western Conference who coincidentally lost to the Mavs in the last playoffs.

After Shams Charania announced the NBA games for Christmas, the rumor that the Mavs and Wolves are on a collision course and will meet in a showdown on Christmas Day came true. The rivalry could quickly intensify and become a heated affair, especially if they are battling for a top spot in the Western Conference at the start of the 2024-25 season.

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

Fans can expect an intense battle when the teams meet in the conference finals.

This series wasn't even close, as Dallas ended it with a gentleman's sweep, including a 124-103 win in Game 5 against one of the league's best defenses.

Still, the round featured plenty of interesting and heated moments between players, from Kyrie Irving and Anthony Edwards engaging in a minor exchange of words to Luka Doncic launching into a scathing attack on Rudy Gobert after the Slovenian prodigy beat the four-time Defensive Player of the Year to victory in Game 2.

As a consolation, the Wolves managed to ruin Irving's previously perfect 14-0 record in crucial playoff games, but the Mavs still maintained their dominance against Minnesota in the series.

This Christmas, however, Edwards will surely be trying to avenge his team's postseason elimination against Dallas.

There's also the subplot of the potential budding rivalry between Team USA's standout player and Doncic. The All-Stars are currently two of the league's biggest stars under 25 and are viewed by many people as candidates to be the face of the NBA.

Many fans will also be curious to see what “Luka Magic” has in store for him after he scored 50 points in the Mavs’ Christmas Day 2023 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Dallas Mavericks’ 2024-25 season.