The Dallas Mavericks’ Worst Case NBA Playoff Scenario

Today we look to the future and determine which playoff opponent would be the least favorable for the Dallas Mavericks in Round 1.

The overachieving but banged up Dallas Mavericks have a playoff berth all but sown up. With 16 games left to be played, and a ten game lead over ninth placed Portland Trailblazers, the Mavericks look to make their first playoff appearance since 2016.

Let’s take a look at potential first round match-ups and realistic expectations of Dallas’ playoff run. Because it’s still early to say for sure who the Dallas Mavericks would play in the playoffs, I’m going to look at the least favorable first round match-up so Mavs fans know exactly what to hope for and what to try to avoid.

L.A. Clippers 2nd seed vs. 7th seed Dallas Mavericks

Either of the L.A. teams take this one, but at this point it would be more likely that the Mavericks would play the Clippers in the first round. The Mavericks struggle to close games. The Clippers have three great closers. To be honest that’s the difference between Mavericks and the two L.A teams.

The Clippers Kawhi Leonard, Paul George,and Lou Williams, and the Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Danny Green have all come up huge late in big games. The Dallas Mavericks haven’t shown signs that they’ll generate enough big plays late in the game to win a series against the Lakers or Clippers.

The Dallas Mavericks X-factors

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Willie Cauley-Stein. The two newest Mavericks could give the Mavericks interior presence that could help them pull off the upset. The Mavericks have problems playing interior defense essentially down the stretch. If Kidd-Gilchrist, and Cauley-Stein can add defensive toughness, the Mavericks offense gives them a chance against any team.

Prediction: Clippers in 5

Either way the fact that the Mavericks made the playoffs despite all the injuries, missed free throws, and bad calls is something for Mav’s fans to feel good about. This is just the beginning.

The Mavericks have a talented young core, two super stars, and a great head coach. This is just another important step in the Maturation process. A step that this team is taking surprisingly early.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the most favorable scenario for the Dallas Mavericks. But if they want to improve their postseason match-up, they’re going to have to start pulling off some close games. Who do you think the best match-up is for the Mavs? Let us know in the comments!

• Published on 03/11/2020 at 16:30 PM
• Last updated at 03/11/2020 at 13:28 PM