Texas Rangers Force Road Game 7 vs. Houston Astros; Channelling Dallas Mavs’ Luka Doncic?

The Texas Rangers have forced a Game 7 in the ALCS on the road against their heated rivals, the Houston Astros ... and we couldn't help but think of when the Dallas Mavericks were in a similar postseason situation just a year and a half ago.

Dalton Trigg | Oct 23, 2023

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After losing Game 5 of the ALCS, the Texas Rangers faced the Houston Astros on the road Sunday night with their season on the line. The result? A 9-2 blowout, courtesy of Adolis Garcia's epic grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to force a winner-take-all Game 7 in Houston on Monday night.

As we watched things unfolded in that ALCS game last night, we couldn't help but think of how the Dallas Mavericks found themselves in a similar postseason situation just a year and a half ago. After losing Game 5 to the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2022 NBA playoffs, the Mavs also forced a road Game 7 after blowing out the Suns in Game 6.

And when Game 7 rolled around ... it was over almost as soon as it began, as Luka Doncic helped his team surge to a 30-point halftime lead and never looked back. Doncic had 27 points in the first half of that game, which matched the Suns' point total as a team. It was a euphoric moment for Mavs fans around the world, as they watched their team advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since Dirk Nowitzki's championship run in 2011.

Dallas Mavericks royalty, Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, showing full support for the Texas Rangers. — Dallas Mavericks royalty, Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic, showing full support for the Texas Rangers :: Texas Rangers / Instagram

Now, the Rangers, who have the full support of Doncic and Nowitzki, will try to channel that same Game 7 mentality when they walk onto the diamond in Houston tonight.

“I’m just proud of how these guys keep bouncing back,” said Rangers manager Bruce Bochy after Game 6. “They’re amazing. They really are. They just don’t let adversity get to them.”

The 2022 Mavs didn't let adversity get to them either with their backs against the wall in a road Game 7. Now it's time for the Rangers to do the same and live up to their #GoAndTakeIt rallying cry.

Published Oct 23, 2023

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.