Column: The Mavericks haven't done the one thing great teams do
When the Boston Celtics came to town, the Dallas Mavericks had an opportunity to do what they hadn't done all season — acquire a statement win. Riding a seven-game winning streak, and Luka Doncic playing at the peak of his powers, that statement win never came. A victory purloined. Yet, Dallas' defeat at the hands […]
When the Boston Celtics came to town, the Dallas Mavericks had an opportunity to do what they hadn't done all season — acquire a statement win.
Riding a seven-game winning streak, and Luka Doncic playing at the peak of his powers, that statement win never came. A victory purloined.
Yet, Dallas' defeat at the hands of the Celtics — one of the best teams in the league — underscores the larger issue at hand: When the opposing team is at full strength, Dallas can't pick up necessary wins against top-seeded opponents.
Yes, the Mavericks beat Memphis. But that was game two of the season. When Denver came to town, the Nuggets didn't have Nikola Jokic. Now, the New Orleans Pelicans are coming to Dallas and won't have a healthy Zion Williamson.
"You just move on to the next game," Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said against Boston.
Still, it stands out that nearly at the halfway point of the season, Dallas doesn't have a signature win over a good team.
There was the Doncic game, where he scored 60 points a led an improbable comeback. But that was against the New York Knicks. A team that embodies average at best.
The overtime win in Brooklyn back in October was against a version of the Nets that still had Steve Nash as a head coach. And then the home victory against Brooklyn was when they were straddled with turmoil.
During the seven-game win streak, Dallas beat opponents it should have: Minnesota, Houston (three times), Los Angeles, San Antonio, and New York.
Most of those teams are in the NBA Draft Lottery sweepstakes or just aren't very good. It's why Dallas' win streak wasn't convincing. Beating Boston on Thursday would have provided the needed validation. Instead, the loss garnered more doubt about how good this version of the Mavericks can be.
"Short-handed or not, we have a plan," Josh Green said after practice on Friday. "We are going into a five, six-game stretch now with really good teams."
The next six games for Dallas reads as such: New Orleans, Oklahoma City, the Clippers, the Lakers, and two games against Portland.
All of those games carry a weight of importance for Dallas. Yet, none of them scream "beat us and everyone will know you belong."
It is a stretch that beats the previous seven games Dallas slogged through. Still, until the Mavericks beat a healthy top dog, they will be without a statement win that tells the NBA they have arrived.
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Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
