Beware of the Dallas Mavericks — Luka and company are balling
No team should want to face Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs this year.
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 111–103 to extend their winning streak to five in a row — something they have not managed to do all season. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 31 points, while Dorian Finney Smith added a season-high 23 points.
Luka Donicic and company came into yesterday’s game versus the western conference leaders without their seven-footer Kristaps Porzingis and his 20 ppg. Coach Rick Carlisle returned to the bench after a false positive Covid test saw him sit out against the Wizards.
The Jazz, who lead the NBA’s three-point field goals made per game with 17 a night, went 12–44 from behind the arc while the Mavericks hit 23 of their 49 to beat the Jazz at their own game.
Both Utah and Dallas saw five players hit double-digit scores, but a poor second and third quarter by the visitors had them chasing the game throughout the night.
Back up point guard Jalen Brunson has stepped up recently and has proven to be a dependable play-maker, with Doncic handing over the ball to the former Villanova guard even while he is on the court. His 20 points on the night came in handy as forwards Maxi Kleber and Nicolo Melli went without scoring but put in stellar defensive performances.
What is working in Dallas?
The Mavericks had a record-breaking offence last season, but has shown that they are no pushovers while defending this year. They are eighth in the entire league in opposition points per game, a remarkable improvement from 16th last season.
With this victory, Rick Carlisle and his team have established themselves as a unit no other team in the conference would want to come up against during the playoffs. As things stand, the Phoenix Suns will face the Mavericks in the playoffs.
Luka was passed on by the Suns in the draft denying NBA fans the opportunity to see Devin Booker and Doncic ball together for years to come. Today, the Mavs nation cannot imagine their team without Doncic, and that team-up would have left the NBA a less competitive place.
Last year, before Porzingis’ injury during the playoffs, the Mavericks seemed to have a realistic chance to beat the Championship favourite Clippers and progress to the second round. The odds might be even better this year as Dallas look like a much more complete and motivated group.
Dallas is yet to field newly traded veteran JJ Reddick (sore right heel injury,) while Nicolo Melli has already proven to be a capable squad player. Additionally, every player seems to have a clear understanding of their role in the team.
The preseason addition of Josh Richardson, an elite 3-and-D player, and Timmy Hardaway Jr coming off the bench as the prime scoring option for the second squad has seen Dallas become a much more balanced outfit with Luka off the court.
With five players averaging double-digits through the season, and their defence improving measurably, hopes of a good playoff performance are increasing.
What does this mean for the rest of the league?
The Lakers have been without LeBron and Anthony Davis for a while and are already suffering. They have slipped from second to fifth in the west in recent weeks. Teams like Dallas and Portland will be looking to exploit their absence and possibly gain a couple of places before their return to court.
Denver has already moved up a few places, and more changes are bound to happen in the standings during the coming weeks.
Doncic himself has been adamant about winning and doing whatever it takes to see victory. When a young 22-year racking up NBA records prioritises winning over those records, that mentality is essentially passed on to his teammates. Mavs ball is reminiscent of the Steph Curry lead Warriors of 2013 but with a taller squad.
At 6'8'’, Doncic has such a wide array of offensive talents, including his signature step-back three, and one cannot but wonder what he is capable of once he builds more muscle as he grows into an NBA veteran. He is also averaging a block every other game, a notable improvement from last year.
The entire squad looks to have put behind their stuttering start to the Covid affected season and looks to be peaking at the right moment with 23 games left in the regular season. Avoiding the play-in tournament should be a priority because those games can go either way irrespective of form and confidence.
If the Mavericks keep up their newfound consistency, no team in the NBA will want to face them in the first round of the playoffs. Ten years after the Dirk lead team’s victory over some of the strongest NBA teams like Kobe’s Lakers and the Miami Trio, Mavericks fans can at least dream about a championship once again.
Next two fixtures: Apr 06 — Houston Rockets, Apr 08 — Milwaukee Bucks.
