The Dallas Mavericks Are Dark Horse Contenders in the West

The Dallas Mavericks Are Dark Horse Contenders in the West

But there’s only one team on my dark horse that has a top five player in the world and that’s the Dallas Mavericks I’m gonna they’re the seven seed right now but the the Mavericks I think there is a scenario where I see them making the Western Conference Finals where I

See the help that Luca has around him is more than what he’s had in previous years is more than what he had in the Western Conference Finals run they’re the seven seed right now they’re only a game behind the Pelicans they’re only a game behind the Suns for the fifth seed

And this team hasn’t been healthy all year long like I don’t I don’t know why whenever we talk about the Mavericks there’s just so much context left out as to why they’re stuck in the playin scenario did you guys know that the Mavericks don’t have one fiveman lineup

That has played over 220 possessions this season Kyrie Irving has missed 22 games Dante XOM who’s been a great role player has missed 23 maxi kba has missed 36 Derek lley has missed 18 games this team has not been healthy but when Luca and Kyrie are on the court together this

Is a top five offense in the NBA it’s a top 10 defense and they have one of the better Point differentials of all Duos the additions of Daniel Gafford huge you get a center who can start or be the backup big he’s a lob threat he’s

A good Defender I I think in matchups where you need a switch big it’s still Derek lley gafford’s a little bit slow footed but the PJ Washington addition it doesn’t even matter that he’s Grant Williams provides more spacing than him because PJ Washington is such a better Defender and much more athletic they’re

Three and 0 with Gafford and PJ Washington and their defense with him on the court versus off it’s it’s a huge difference when he’s on the floor for their defense they’re an elite level defense it’s a it’s a really small game sample size games but when you when you

Have a player like LCA donic and then you have a co-star like Kyrie Irvin next him and you have the proper depth around them I think they can give any team in the in in the west a run for the money and if they’re in the Conference Finals

I would not be shocked in the slightest yeah I’m on board with that I mean I think maybe you’re a little bit higher on them than I am you see [ __ ] rear rearing to go on this bit but when you look at like when you look at what’s

Going on in Dallas not only did they kill it at the trade deadline they are one of the 10 easiest remaining schedules they have had like a brutal first two-thirds of the season and nobody below them in terms of like easiness of schedule is around them in

The standings I think it’s just like them and the Warriors and then everybody else is like an Eastern Conference team or it’s like OKC Minnesota and Denver and so for that to be the case I wouldn’t be surprised to see them move up kind of secure just like a full-time

Playoff spot and yeah if Bar’s good to go this is a nightmare PLL for like a first round team I would not want to face them if I’m the Nuggets I wouldn’t want to face them if I’m uh the Thunder especially or the timberos just in terms

Of like when you talk about experience and when you talk about having the best player in a playoff setting the Mavs are probably going to be on top in both of those rankings if they go against the Timberwolves or the Thunder and and yeah I don’t know it’s just uh it’s scary

[ __ ] I like I like Gaff a lot and I think uh the backup big minutes for whoever they don’t start is gonna be aing nightmare for their opponent to deal with and yeah I don’t know it’s just uh it’s a team that’s low now but I can definitely see a world where it

Turns around very very quickly especially I mean you mentioned their health that Health gets better this is a this is a tough team man I’ll talk Johnny yeah uh I understand uh LCA donic is a unbelievable player he’s been playing at just an insane rate this season but of

Course you’ve already mentioned the health of the Dallas Mavericks now it’s optimistic in terms of hey if if these guys can stay healthy which we haven’t we’ve seen them struggle with so far hey they can go and make this Western Conference run and I understand that

Sentiment because of how high of a level Luca dones is playing and of course he is one of the best players in the league top four at the absolute wor worst but then on top of it Kyrie Irving is one of the best Sidekicks especially offensively you already have a tweet

That I don’t know how how crazy it’s going I saw it had a decent amount of love you talked about the defense when Kyrie and Luca are on and I feel like we we do the the the the Luca plays defense propaganda has just been a little bit

Too loud recently where he’s not playing the best offensive player he’s not playing defense on the best offensive player he’s just doing his job at a very high level which hey you got to give respect to but again it’s a it’s a little foggy in that in that respective

Area who is man LeBron never was guarding the best offensive player in the league never no he wasn’t down maybe possessions maybe in possessions LeBron was never ging opposing team’s best player all the a whole night absolutely you shouldn’t do that regardless regardless the luuka defense narratives

I’ve seen online are [ __ ] crazy like oh my God he’s he’s not just standing around anymore this rocks he’s one of the best defenders in the league you know you know what’s the thing is that no no he’s he’s not an all NBA Defender we all know that he’s not all defense

But the narrative around him was that he was complete liability they try to they try to group in in group him into like the Trey young Stratosphere Tre young has improved on defense too but Luca I think just the numbers show that he’s a good Defender like he’s not all world

But he’s good and he’s right Defender that’s what you me from a star player he’s passable no he’s a good good Defender I’m gonna I’m gonna go pass seen I’ve seen Luca defend isos this year his hands have been active his hands Dro to the ground I’ve seen that

When he plays someone who actually knows offense Anthony Edward just got dropped by Paul George good point good point this is the NBA we got a bunch of skilled handlers in the league but I you know Jaylen Brown’s apparently not not be one of those but right that’s what I’m saying so

I look at the additions that were made by the Mavericks and at the trade deadline and I said it PJ Washington okay solid move but that Gafford Edition was huge you get the rim protection you just getting the best available big man at the trade dead line when so many

Teams could use a backup big and the Mavericks were able to not just draft one of the better ones in terms of Derek Lively now you have a safety blanket in case he does go down because like Joel’s already mentioned he’s missed a good chunk of games this season and Daniel

Gafford being one of the best shot blockers being one of the best Rim protectors you add that to a Mavericks core who has been struggling immensely in terms of points allowed in the paint you it it is just a huge boost to get two defensive-minded players to add to a

Defense that had been trending in the right direction especially when Derek Lively is on the basketball court and now you just have Luca donic and Kyrie Irving so long as they’re healthy you have no worries about that offensive unit because of how Elite these two guys

Have proven to be not just in the regular season but we know what they are in the playoffs Kyrie as of late hasn’t been that same playoff performer that he once was earlier on in his career but we still do trust Kyrie Irving when the basketball in his hand when the moment

Is asked of him so I respected Dallas Mavericks no doubt about it especially after this trade deadline uh because now they have a little bit more security especially locking up that paint but health is still the concern for this team and as as wrong as this may

Sound it’s the truth they are still too Luca Reliant for my liking you need Kyrie Irving to to still be dominant and I don’t have worries about that but Luca still needs to I I it’s more of a trust thing and and I trust Luca but I I don’t I don’t

Like the fact that it’s still as Luca riant as as they’ve been isn’t LCA number one in playoff points per game in history right now he’s a legend I trust Luka donic you didn’t sound too confident in that just 10 seconds to be as luki as I wanted to

Be Harden was the same way and we saw that I don’t want it to be Harden 2.0 he’s better I agree I understand I think that he’s better but I’ve seen it happen and I don’t want to see this is the difference this is the difference and I feel

Like whenever we talk about heliocentrism offenses it’s always James Harden who is the poster boy for it and it makes sense he had a high usage but two points one if if James Harden actually performed consistently in the playoffs he’d be an NBA champion right now fair enough he would have knocked

Off the Warriors and he wouldn’t have choked in game six and seven the very next year in the second round KD goes down and the Warriors beat him I I don’t think that happens to Luca it’s a hypothetical situation but I’ve seen Harden disappear if Harden has not

Disappeared he’s an NBA champion and we’re not and we’re not talking about this narrative with Helio centrism basketball number two what is LeBron ball what is a Lebron James offense it is heliocentric that’s what a LeBron James offense is when you are a historically great offensive

Player it’s in the best interest of the offense to play through you most of the time and that’s what’s happening with luuka right now because he is one of the best scorers on a planet but also one of the best Playmakers in the planet and he doesn’t turn the ball over at an

Extremely high rate the Mavericks as a team are one of the lowest turnover rate teams in the NBA for sure L Tak care of the ball thank you for saying that [ __ ] because it bothers me when people talk about Trey and Luca and say they’re turnover prone and yet remarkably their

Teams are always turn over the ball the absolute least in the end so many decisions the Maverick’s number three they only turn over the ball 12 and a half times the margin L himself he has four game and when you think about the amount of decisions that he makes four

Turnovers is not that much because the volume it’s just a disproportionate sample size for many stars but there’s a couple of things with the Mavericks I’m not going to be worried with their offense if Kyrie’s playing the play postseason healthy he’s been a great teammate in Dallas he’s been a good

Leader hasn’t missed much time for off the court stuff and I’m really this optimistic he’s going to change the narrative this time with Luka because the last time I played with a player like this he was Hing the big shot in Cavaliers history that’s for sure one of

The biggest NBA finals history I think that du is going to be just fine my question is defensively on the wings petj washon is not a good Defender and Charlotte he was a leading Catalyst or some of the worst defenses the NBA seen and I look at their lack of playmaking

On the wings defensively and I felt like they could have really used somebody who’s a really good off ball Defender someone that’s versatile enough and the playoffs they’re not going to have that elite point of attack Defender that’s always going to be my number one fear with them and without that

Their offense has to be amazing and then their defense has to be all right

The Mavericks are sleeping giants