Going into the preseason they were my favorite for the most overrated team, and in this Western conference with New Orleans Phoenix Sacramento and Utah all making power plays to sneak into that playoff picture, they were the team I thought most susceptible to getting knocked out. Hell they barely made it last year. One last second shot going in or out puts Phoenix in as the 8 seed instead of them. I have no idea what the national media was smoking, putting these guys on such a pedestal, but I'm sure happy it happened. It was probably that seven game series they manufactured against the Spurs, where Vince Carter and Shawn Marion played their brains out. Where are those guys now by the way? The recipe is even better than the OKC one. Take: 1. An aging superstar approaching 37 by next summer. 2. An aging supporting cast of vets who had to overachieve just to reach par last year. and 3. A buttload of money given to one guy whose value is not insignificantly based on his ability to market the NBA product to your fanbase. A revenge signing, to be honest. And you have all the makings of a huge letdown. Even in November, we are seeing that every win counts. The Rockets only hold a two-game lead over them, but I would much rather be in our shoes at this point than theirs, already in the 8 seed with San Antonio, OKC, and Phoenix lurking behind them. I'll really enjoy watching that ship go down this year.
copycats aint appreciated, why dont u start a thread about spurs also, they r 2-3 can this yr finally be the 1 which houston is the best team in texas in like 18 yrs? too soon to judge
They won't miss the playoffs, but the notion that they had a shot at a 3 or 4 seed in the preseason was absurd then, and it's absurd now. They're a 6-7-8 seed. That defense is dreadful.
OKC losing Durant/Westbrook potentially opens up a spot, but yeah it was always a gamble on Tyson being healthy being enough to get them into the 8th seed.
dallas doesn't play defense. They let go of Marion who somewhat played defense. Their only defender is Amin
My point is that Dallas needed everything to go right for them last year, just to squeak into that 8 spot. I have seen nothing yet this year to suggest that anything will be different, save the fact that there will be even MORE competition for that final spot. There's just no margin for error at all. If you say the Clippers, Warriors, Spurs, Rockets, Grizz, and Blazers are locks, then you're looking at the final two spots coming down to OKC, Dallas, New Orleans, Phoenix, and Sacramento. On that list, who is on the way up? Who got better over the offseason? I wouldn't bet against youth in this instance. You take the best three players in that group, and you're looking at Durant, Davis, and Cousins. It's hard to imagine all three of those guys missing the playoffs with the way they're playing.
They will make the playoffs but I'm not sure even a great coach like Carlisle can make them defend serviceably. One caveat: If Tyson Chandler misses more than ~20 games, Mavs could slip out of the playoffs. Only way they finish top 4 is for everything to go right.
I guessed before the season that Dallas would be fighting for the final playoff spot and the main reason was their defense would be terrible. I have watched several games now this year and their offense is actually pretty good and can be even exciting but they suck at defense...a lot.
nah they wont miss the playoffs. they'll be a 7-8 seed i think. we'll be slightly above that at 5th-4th
I think they make it as long as Dirk stays healthy. They may be weak defensively, but they're too good offensively to fall short. Then again, if New Orleans and Sacramento are for real, who the hell knows? It may wind up taking more than 50 wins to get in.
Blazers of last year without the unbelievable hot streak to start the season. All offense no defense. They will make it, but not as a top 4 team.
Lol that defense. Kenny Smith was salivating at this elite defense. Heat should have put up 110+ points. They were at like 96 points with 9 mins left to go in the fourth. Another wing player goes off against them (This time Deng, a respectable shooter and scorer) and I don't know who they play next but my guess is another perimeter guy will go off for 25+ points. I think they are in for a disappointing season, don't know if that means the playoffs or not. Too many variables right now to say.
