Who’s the ideal match-up for the Dallas Mavericks?
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Mavericks are nearing the postseason. With only three games left on their schedule, playoff slotting is starting to fall into place. In the tightly contested West, the Mavs could conceivably face one of three teams currently jockeying for position.
The Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves sit fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively in the West. All three are good teams that represent their own unique challenges for the Dallas Mavericks.
With no ‘sure thing’ as an option, what team represents the optimal scenario for the Dallas Mavericks?
The seventh seeded T-Wolves are the obvious preferred opponent based on their record. At 45-34 they are the lowest seed and as such, the most beatable. But Minnesota is no no cupcake match-up and if they are the Mavs first round opponent it would mean they likely played great ball down the stretch.
The T-Wolves are an inexperienced playoff team led by a superstar who has seen less postseason success than Luka Doncic. They are vulnerable in ways others are not.
On the other end of the spectrum there’s the Denver Nuggets who are currently in fifth place. The Nuggs are the only possible first round match-up who can claim to have the top superstar on the court against Dallas. Nikola Jokic is the NBA’s defending MVP and candidate to take top honors again this year as well.
Jokic controls the offense from down low. He can do it all, drive, step back, rebound, and dish. While the Dallas Mavericks have shown the ability to match-up well against Denver, Jokic is not an opponent you typically want to ask for.
The sixth seeded Utah Jazz are vulnerable and sitting in the middle. To say there’s blood in the water in Utah is to put it mildly. They have a losing record here down the stretch and there has been no attempt to silence the contempt in the ranks.
While the potential is there for the Jazz to implode on their own, they are a formidable force nonetheless who have two bona fide stars, plenty of shared postseason experience, and quite possibly the best homecourt advantage in the NBA.
All three teams are vulnerable and formidable at the same time. All could potentially beat the Dallas Mavericks if Dallas isn’t playing their best ball. The ultimate goal shouldn’t be who they face but rather how well the Mavs are playing themselves.
Rising to the three seed is a longshot but it’s pretty darn attractive too. It puts the Mavs on the right side of the bracket and paves the way for a better second round should they be fortunate enough to advance. It also means the Dallas Mavericks finished red hot, something important for a young team entering the playoffs.
Want your voice heard? Join the Sports Dallas Fort-Worth team!
light. Trending. Will the Mavs small ball success continue into the postseason?
Getting Maxi Kleber playing better down the stretch is a pretty important task for these last three games since he’s the key to Dallas’ small ball line-up. Dallas should be focused on finishing strong and the rest will sort itself out. While some match-ups are more attractive than others, playing good ball should be the Mavs top objective.