After nearly a decade of irrelevance, the Mavs are back. Entering the playoffs as the 7th seed would normally be a death sentence. This year, things might be different. These Mavs have dark horse potential written all over them.
This year saw the beginning of the Luka and Porzingis partnership that we had all been waiting for. Initially, the results were… concerning. Porzingis was coming off of a major injury that had kept him out for 20 months, and not only that, but he was playing on a new team with a new coach, system, and teammates. So it came as no surprise that the Mavs came off to a slow start.
As the year progressed and Luka began to emerge as a fringe MVP candidate, Porzingis quietly began to improve. Soon enough, Porzingis began playing above the level he had been playing at in New York. All of a sudden, the Mavericks went from a team with 0 all-stars to a team with 2.
In addition to this, the Mavs may be one of the best teams to ever be stuck at the 7th seed. The Mavs have lost an unbelievable 18 games by 5 points or fewer. If they had even just won half of those games, they could have ended up as the 2nd or 3rd seed. The Mavs struggle to close games, but rarely get blown out. If the Mavs can figure out how to close games in the playoffs, they could certainly give the Los Angeles Clippers a run for their money.
The NBA was once a league based on big 3’s. The Celtics, The Heat, The Thunder, etc. Now it is a league of duos. This is where the Clippers have their biggest advantage. When healthy, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are a more dangerous pair than Luka and Porzingis. Outside of that, both teams have strong, deep benches to contend with.
While admittedly the Clippers have had the Mavericks number this year, the playoffs are a whole different animal. I contend that Rick Carlisle is a top 5 coach (if not a top 3) and can out coach Doc Rivers over a playoff series. Also, there is no real home court advantage since everyone is stuck in the bubble. The advantages for the Clippers are not as large as they may seem on paper. If there was ever a series that was ripe for an upset, it would be this series. The Mavs are considerably better today than they were at the beginning of the season, and they are peaking at just the right time.
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