The Dallas Mavericks, who were 26-23 on Feb. 3, have skyrocketed up the Western Conference standings over the past two months and are now 47-30 with five games left in the regular season.
The Mavs, who beat the Golden State Warriors 108-106 on Friday night without Luka Doncic due to a knee injury, have a 99.6 percent chance of avoiding the play-in tournament and earning a top-six seed. It became. West, according to ESPN's playoff projections. According to these projections, Dallas has an 85 percent chance of earning the No. 5 seed, which would see the Mavs face the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs for the third time in five years.
Back in the '90s, the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, had to overcome their nemesis, the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons, who had defeated them numerous times, in order to finally get over the hump and start a dynasty. did. I'm not going to jump out and say there's a dynasty in the making in Dallas, but perhaps now is the perfect time for Luka Doncic's Mavs to do something similar against the Clippers.
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After losing two hard-fought series against the Clippers in 2020 and 2021 in six and seven games, respectively, the Mavs now surround Doncic with their best lineup in six seasons in the NBA, and the team seems to be peaking at the right time. has reached. , won 13 of their final 15 games and had the league's No. 1 defense during that span.
The addition of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington completely flipped the Mavs' scenario on its head. Their entire roster is filled with long, athletic players who can make smart reads and turn on defenses. On Friday night, Washington led Dallas in Doncic's absence, scoring a team-high 32 points with five rebounds, three assists, five steals and two blocks, a perfect illustration of the value of both players. Gafford had 10 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
Sure, the Clippers have a proven two-time champion in Kawhi Leonard who has had a lot of success against the Mavs over the years, but he also dealt with knee inflammation last week, and certainly Dallas He hasn't played against any defense. As sturdy as this current one.
Time will tell if this Mavs-Clippers first-round matchup actually happens, but it's very possible and the Mavs aren't the underdogs they once were.
