4 Bold predictions for the Dallas Mavericks down the stretch

The All-Star weekend has come and gone, now it is time for the second half of the NBA season. As it stands, the Dallas Mavericks remain a game and a half from the fourth spot in the Western Conference and a game and a half ahead of the six place team.

Since the Kristaps Porzingis trade, Luka Doncic has been averaging 41.5 points per game and in those four games he has put in 22 three pointers. In three of the past four games, he has finished with a double-double and either a steal/block of some sort.

What started off as a season of uncertainty, seems to be the year of optimism and promise.

With season now picking up after the All-Star break, we offer four bold predictions for the Dallas Mavericks

With just 23 games left of the season, here are a series of bold predictions for Doncic and his counterparts in Dallas.

Prediction 1: Luka Doncic will finish in the top three of MVP voting

As it stands, Luka Doncic is not even in the top five when it comes to the MVP race. Players ahead of him include Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Paul and Steph Curry. The difference between Doncic and them is that the Mavs’ star has scored over 40 points in the last couple of games before the break. Along with that he has made over 40 percent of his threes. If you look at those scorching games, they all came against either a playoff contending team in the West or the number one-team in the East.

The NBA media and analysts currently have Doncic tied for six in the MVP race. If we look into the future I can definitely see the euro all-star moving past Paul, Giannis, and possibly Curry.

Before the break Curry had two games where he hit less than 14 percent of his threes, while “Geek the Freak” failed to reach a double-double and Paul injured his thumb. There is no doubt Doncic will move up the MVP race when it is all said and done this season.

2. The Dallas Mavericks will add some help

As we saw, the biggest move the Mavs made this year was trade their number two star. While most teams are done after the deadline, some wait for buyout candidates to be released. Remember when it was reported two weeks ago that Dallas could sign Goran Dragic, well that is out the door as he took his talents to Brooklyn. However don’t be surprised if Dallas signs some big men help.

Some names to look out for include Robin Lopez (who I would love by the way), Paul Millsap (a favorite candidate for a while) and Derrick Favors. DeAndre Jordan might have have been an option, but Dallas is one and done there.

If you ask me the ideal scenario is  releasing Sterling Brown or Trey Burke to make room for the Lopez brother.

3. The Dallas Mavericks will be a top four team

As mentioned before, the Mavs are only a game and a half from the fourth spot in the West. I truly believe at any time Dallas will pass Utah.

Over the next five games, Luka Doncic and his crew will face opponents ranging from the Golden State Warriors (twice), Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Only two of those four teams are currently playoff bound.

After that other matchups include the Jazz, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. The only trouble some match from this list includes the Jazz and possibly Boston Celtics. Remember Brooklyn is still without KD.

On the other Utah’s next five includes the Dallas Mavericks, Suns, Rockets, Pelicans and Thunders. Not too bad right? Well after that the schedule that includes matchups against the Mavs again, Spurs and  the Bucks.

While this will be a close race, I believe Dallas has the edge due to Doncic’s resurgence and performance down the stretch.

4. One final result: a playoff series win

When the season is all said and done, don’t be surprised if the Dallas Mavericks finally win a playoff series. One possible opponent is the Utah Jazz. The team has only played Utah once this season and at the time, they did it without Doncic. With the squad in full force Dallas could definitely pull off a playoff series win against the Jazz if the standings permit.

One other possible matchup could include the Memphis Grizzles. Assuming, the Mavericks fall to six in the standings this is a possible matchup. Against Memphis this season Dallas has the upper hand as they have beat their division opponents in three of their last four matchups.

With the second part of the season underway Mavs’ fans everywhere are excited to see what sort of magic Doncic has under his belt. Could this be the season of wonders for the team? Only time will tell.