Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have shown recently that they are true championship contenders, and after last Sunday's miraculous victory over Kyrie Irving's Denver Nuggets, the world's attention was on them. are gathering.
Dallas sits in eighth place in the Western Conference with a record of 41 wins and 29 losses, and the ceiling seems to continue to rise for this team. After the Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington trades, Dallas' defense improved significantly, with both Gafford and Washington providing much-needed reinforcements.
The Mavs are playing so well that many are already starting to think about the playoffs and who they will face in the first round.
Playoff matchups aren't easy, but one team in the Western Conference was judged by Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz to be a “nightmare matchup” for the Mavericks. Swartz couldn't be more right when he said the Nuggets are a nightmare matchup for Dallas.
Denver is currently the second seed in the Western Conference, 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings. The Mavs must do everything they can to avoid the Nuggets. Because they may be the best team in the West regardless of seeding.
The Nuggets are 2-1 against the Mavs this year, with Irving's stunning win clinching the one-game win for Dallas. The momentum shift that occurred when the Mavs took a 13-point lead with less than seven minutes left in the game suggests that had Irving missed that shot, Dallas would have lost the game in overtime.
The Nuggets' versatility and size make them a good fit with just about any team in the league, but the reason Swartz thought the Nuggets would dominate the Mavericks doesn't hold much water considering their last game.
Swartz said Denver's playoff experience may be too much for Dallas, and while that's true, a lower-ranked matchup between Derek Lively II and Nikola Jokic could be a deal-breaker for Lively II. He also said that the mismatch was too large.
First, the starting center is Gafford, not Lively II.
Number two, Lively II did a great job against Jokic in their last matchup. Jokic shot 6-16 from the field last week against Dallas, but Lively II frustrated him with his physical play.
According to a statistic found by JJ Redick, “Jokic went 2-8 when Lively II was the opposing defender.”
“To his credit, Derek Lively outdid himself against Nikola Jokic. When Lively was a defender, Jokic was 2-for-8. was.”
JJ praised the defense of Lively, who was named Finals MVP in yesterday's game. pic.twitter.com/RzzAO8vZG0
— Derek Lively II Muse (@DL2Muse) March 18, 2024
Redick praised Lively II's performance in this game, and if he and Gafford can work together to limit Jokic and let the rest of the Nuggets beat them, the Mavs will be the reigning champions. You'll have a good chance of defeating him.
Anyone can beat anyone at this time of year, but I think it's clear that the Mavs tying Jokic with the Nuggets in the first round is not what they want. Doncic would give Dallas a great chance to win any series they play in, but Jokic and Denver could be the worst matchup.
Click here for the latest information on Luka Doncic, Derek Lively II, and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
