Mavericks: Postseason Appearance Not Guaranteed

The Dallas Mavericks have gone from a team that’s surprised many to one that might be fading at the wrong time if they’re serious about a postseason appearance.

The Dallas Mavericks can officially classify their postseason ambitions as being on life support in the Western Conference. If Wednesday’s 93-90 loss to the Miami Heat at American Airlines Center is any indication, this team could very well end up in the NBA Lottery later this year.

The Mavericks couldn’t capitalize on a 1-for-11 start by fading Miami guard Dwyane Wade while enduring more injuries to a back court that’s too relied on to be as limited as it is. Even with starter Deron Williams and reserve guard Devin Harris on the court, the Mavs are a team that can lose any game they suit up to play.

Most discouraging is the fact that Dallas really can’t beat superior teams. We can look back to a couple of wins over the Chicago Bulls and an early-season win over the Los Angeles Clippers as efforts that brought hope, but little else. Beating the Golden State Warriors without Stephen Curry was nice, but once Curry suited up in a rematch in Northern California it was clear that the Mavericks didn’t belong on the same court.

Yes, the reigning league MVP is in ‘God Mode‘ at this time, and the Warriors might not be beatable anyway.

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The Mavericks are a team that could still make noise the post season, but only if they turn things around dramatically. Given this team’s weaknesses, it’s looking more and more unlikely that this is going to happen.

Last year’s Mavericks finished fourth in the Southwest Division with a record of 50-32. Dallas was the seventh seed in the Western Conference Playoffs before bowing out to the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the opening round of the postseason.

Currently sitting at just 28-24, the Mavericks would need to go 22-8 the rest of the way to reach 50 games. Barring a huge run of victories during a stretch of lots of home games, it doesn’t appear that Dallas has a very good chance of reaching that mark.

No, the Mavs don’t have to win 50 games to qualify for the postseason, but considering that the Portland Trail Blazers currently hold the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference at 24-26, it’s not a stretch to wonder if Dallas can remain in contention.

Given the way that the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs are dismantling most of the NBA, there’s a strong likelihood that the Western Conference sends a sub-500 team to the postseason – there could be two teams of this caliber for all we know.

The big question concerning the Mavericks isn’t whether or not they make the playoffs, because there’s a better chance than not that they do. The real inquiry is whether or not the Mavericks matchup with anybody in the conference playoff bracket that unfolds.

The Mavs haven’t beaten the Spurs, although they get to try for the third time Friday night at AAC. Dallas hasn’t beaten Oklahoma City, either. These represent the second and third seeds, respectively, in the Western Conference at this time, and that’s where there’s a drop-off in overall records.

Chances are quite strong that the Mavericks draw one of the top three teams in the first round, and possibly another in the second. I think Dallas draws Curry and those Dubs right away and it’s another early summer again.

No matter what Dirk Nowitzki and Chandler Parsons bring to the table, a possibility of 14-straight games against, for example, Golden State and then San Antonio looks like a suicide mission to absolutely nowhere.

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Frankly, healthy or not, the 2015-16 Dallas Mavericks are no lock to make the playoffs, and even getting there doesn’t seem to serve much purpose for a team that desperately needs an infusion of youth and talent to help pave the way for future Dallas stars Parsons and Wesley Matthews.

We know how the free agency world works, right?

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