The Dallas Mavericks are currently the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with 15 games left in the regular season, entering the most important period of the season. The Mavericks have increased their intensity on both sides of the ball as of late, and some rotation changes by Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd helped push Dallas to four straight wins before Thursday's loss to Oklahoma City. I did.
This puts the Mavericks in position to move up in the standings after losing five of seven games after the All-Star break, dimming their hopes of getting out of the play-in range.
The Mavericks have been in business lately, but their schedule hasn't been particularly tough. However, Dallas is scheduled to play multiple matchups against top-eight seeded opponents in the Western Conference in their remaining 15 games, so this final step will certainly begin to tell how competitive the Mavericks can be in the playoffs. right.
A tie for any of the Western Conference's top teams could result in an early exit for Dallas from the playoffs, so the Mavericks will need to do everything they can to get out of play-in territory and climb as far as possible. With that said, here are three teams the Mavericks should avoid in the first round of the playoffs.
Honorable Mention: Minnesota Timberwolves
Despite currently sitting in third place in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves are showing some vulnerability as they approach the playoffs. Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns recently underwent surgery to repair a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, but the injury will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season as well as some playoff games. there's a possibility that.
However, the Timberwolves are extremely versatile from top to bottom and still maintain the NBA's best defensive rating of 108.3. The Timberwolves are 2-2 since Karl-Anthony Towns was injured, but Anthony Edwards seems to have kicked into a new gear on both sides of the ball since Towns' injury.
The Mavericks are 1-3 against Minnesota this season, but all four games the teams played came before the trade deadline. Dallas currently has much better position size and frontcourt defense, so Minnesota might not be the worst matchup in the first round considering the group's lack of playoff experience and Towns' injury.
However, the Mavericks cannot make the mistake of underestimating Minnesota's stifling defense and will need to prepare thoroughly if they draw as their opponent in the first round of the playoffs.
