By: Alex Bustillo
To say this season has been a roller coaster, would be an understatement; a prolific offense, among the league’s best when in sync paired with an improved defense ranked 8th in points allowed, has translated into fifth in the Western Conference for the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are in a great position, in this shortened season, to improve upon their performance in the Orlando bubble last season. Luka Doncic continues to add layers to his already gifted offensive game, averaging 28.2 ppg, 8 rebounds and just shy of 9 assists per game through the May 9th victory over the Cavaliers.
Dallas Mavericks, winners of 7 of their last 8 games dating back to April 27th, find themselves 1 game ahead of the Trailblazers for 5th in the Western Conference trying to avoid the Play-in Tournament set to begin May 18th. This last month and a half had seen some very impressive wins over the league’s best teams, Brooklyn, New York Knicks and the Utah Jazz, and some puzzling defeats at the hands of the Sacramento Kings, THREE times in 15 days, and the injury-depleted Houston Rockets.
The Mavericks seem to have found their groove at the right time. They have 4 very winnable games remaining against the Grizzlies, Pelicans (without Zion), Raptors and Timberwolves. The Mavericks clinched the Southwest division on Friday May 7th with their 110-90 victory over the Cavaliers. They’ve done all this without the services of the Unicorn, Kristaps Porzingis, who’s missed the team’s last six games with right knee soreness.
The Mavericks may actually be better without KP in the lineup. Players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dwight Powell have played excellent during this stretch with Powell scoring in double figures in 4 of his last 6 games and THJ absolutely on fire, averaging 27 points a game over the last week. JJ Redick has seen more playing time and getting more and more healthy heading into the postseason is also a great sign for Dallas. When KP is healthy, you certainly want him in there for his length, his ability to stretch the floor and his scoring, but his shot selection and the occasional defensive letdown, along with his injury history, has got to make you think twice, especially since the team is playing so well without him.
It will be another decision Rick Carlisle will have to make, with the emergence of rookie Josh Green also playing a factor in the recent success of the Mavs, what rotation will get it done in the playoffs against what looks to be a first round matchup with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets? The last 4 games of the season will likely see some lineup changes and increased minutes for Josh Green, a healthy Maxi Kleber and of course utilizing defensive specialist and offensive surprise Dorian Finney-Smith along with Josh Richardson. There are so many good pieces on this team with their only question really being whether they can clamp down defensively, their center play and whether they can shoot and defend the three ball well.
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