I noticed that while the Mavs are currently 2nd seed in the West, they are 8th in the conference in point differential. Well below the other playoff teams in fact. Does that mean they are lucky or just clutch?
I would say they are a decent team with a great player leading them, but I hope no one is counting on them to be a title contender....
The Mavs are doucebag organization! Mark my words, they will lose and be knocked out in the 1st round!
You have to remember their roster was remade at the trade deadline. To get a better picture of them, you have to look at how they've played since the All-Star break. Right now, they are probably the team mostly likely to make the Finals if the Lakers fail. IMO, them being the 2nd seed in the West is about right. Maybe the Jazz belong there, maybe not.
After the trade, Mavs have moved past Nuggets. Dirk has Kidd to make the decisions on the court and he can just be a primary scorer. He also has enough help at every position. They now have enough scorers that even if Dirk gets shut down, Mavs can win games. The main reasons why they are the second team in the West and a threat to the Lakers is the addition of Shawn Marion and Haywood. They both improve Mavs ability to defend tremendously. Shawn Marion is a very capable defender against wings. Haywood provides them with a steady inside presence and is a good shot blocker. Both will do the dirty work, score off the ball, and will not demand the ball to make an impact on the game. If Mavs click by playoffs, I think they can take the Lakers out. For Lakers to win, Gasol will have to come big.
Nuggets? With K-Mart iffy for the playoffs and even with him, I just don't see them threatening the Lakers. Maybe its something I'm not seeing. What has changed from the last 2 years to finally put them over the Lakers? The addition of Lawson/Affalo minus Kleiza/Jones? Bynum didn't even play that much in last years Nuggets playoff defeat...A Spurs/LA matchup would be interesting to see....
as long as soft ass dirk is their go to guy theyll always be overrated always good in the regular season but no heart in the playoffs sorry ass mavs
