The NBA season is quickly coming to an end, and even though there are still three weeks left in the season, many fans' and media's eyes are starting to turn to the playoffs.
A lot can happen over the course of three weeks, and a team that was thought to be the favorite could quickly become the favorite, and vice versa.
One team that everyone is showing that they are a true championship favorite is the Dallas Mavericks, and all signs point to them being a team that no one wants to see in the first round of the playoffs. I am. The Mavs were recently declared a “nightmare matchup” for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and they're coming away with wins at the perfect time.
Dallas' most recent win came against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, and they have a chance to get another win tonight against the Jazz. The Mavs are currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 41 wins and 29 losses. When the playoffs begin today, Dallas will face the Thunder.
When Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz made his complete bracket predictions for the 2024 NBA Playoffs, he predicted the Mavs would face the Minnesota Timberwolves, which isn't necessarily the matchup Mavs fans want. .
Karl-Anthony Towns went down with an injury recently and may be out until the playoffs, but the Timberwolves are not a team Dallas wants to play against. The Mavs are 1-3 against Minnesota this season, and the Timberwolves have the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA.
The Timberwolves also happen to have one of the NBA's best rim protectors in Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid is an elite floor big who had a big performance against the Mavs. Needless to say, Anthony Edwards has played great over the past two months, showing that he has the potential to be one of the best players in the NBA someday.
In theory, no matter how tough the Dallas-Minnesota matchup is, the Mavs have a great chance to beat the Timberwolves. You can never count Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving playing in a playoff series, and the Timberwolves certainly don't want to play the Mavericks either.
Doncic and Irving are one of the most difficult duos in the NBA to stop, and the Mavs' improved defense led by P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford could be enough to defeat the Timberwolves. In the Mavs' only win against the Timberwolves this year, Irving and Doncic combined for 69 points, but the Timberwolves had no answers.
It's still a few weeks before we know who the Mavs will face in the first round of the playoffs, but Dallas has shown recently that they can compete with any team in the NBA.
Be sure to check back for the latest information on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the remainder of the regular season and into the playoffs.
