Mavericks: 3rd in the Western Conference looks more tangible for Dallas
Heading into Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks trail the Golden State Warriors by 1.5 games. The Warriors (48-28) struggled for long stretches during the heart of the season while missing Draymond Green. During that same stretch, the Mavericks (46-29) turned into one of the best defensive teams in the league, rattling off wins and feeling […]
Heading into Tuesday night, the Dallas Mavericks trail the Golden State Warriors by 1.5 games.
The Warriors (48-28) struggled for long stretches during the heart of the season while missing Draymond Green. During that same stretch, the Mavericks (46-29) turned into one of the best defensive teams in the league, rattling off wins and feeling rejuvenated by the arrival of Spencer Dinwiddie.
Now, Dallas has a real opportunity to catch the Warriors for third place in the Western Conference standings. If Dallas beats the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, the 1.5 game lead Golden State possesses will shrink to just one. And if Dallas can close the season out strong in the final six games, anything feels in the realm of possibility. Even the three seed.
"Yeah, you never know," Doncic said when asked about the possibility of the Mavericks gaining the third seed after Sunday's win over Utah. "If the Warriors lose and we win two we’re right there, and that’s even better than fourth place.”
In the last 10 games, the Mavericks are 6-4. The team held opponents to 100 or fewer points a total of four times during that stretch. Meanwhile, the Warriors are 4-6 in the last 10 games. And that stretch has produced ugly losses to Washington, Memphis, Orlando, San Antonio, Atlanta and Boston.
Six of those games were without Steph Curry, who remains sidelined with an ankle injury. And the next game Golden State plays is against the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns. Another loss opens the door a little bit wider for Dallas.
If the Mavericks dispatch the hobbled Lakers tonight, and the, even more, hobbled Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, the three seed is directly within reach. And if both the Mavericks and the Warriors end up with identical records, the Mavericks own the tiebreaker with a 3-1 season series record.
If by late next week Dallas holds the three seed, you shouldn't be surprised. It's been in the making since the calendar shifted to January 2022.
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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
