With the 2024 NBA Playoffs being under two weeks away, Dallas Mavericks fans can’t wait to see their team in the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Fans were shocked that the Mavs missed the playoffs last year after trading for Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, but they reloaded over the summer and at this year’s trade deadline to surround Luka Doncic with the best team he has ever had.
The Mavs are rolling as they had won seven games in a row before losing to the Golden State Warriors last night, and fans are starting to speculate who the Mavs may play in the playoffs.
5 Things Dallas Mavericks fans should root for, 5 to root against to close season
There are a couple of different possibilities for the Mavs, and whoever they play will be an exciting matchup.
Here are five things that Dallas Mavericks fans should root for, and five things they should root against to close the season.
10. For: A speedy Josh Green recovery
A few weeks ago, Dallas Mavericks guard Josh Green went down with a nasty ankle sprain against the Oklahoma City Thunder. This injury happened at the most unfortunate time considering the Mavs’ positioning, but the Mavs haven’t lost since this injury and other players have been able to lessen the blow
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dante Exum are both playing well right now, and Derrick Jones Jr. has been great on both ends as the team’s starting small forward. Dallas’ 3-point shooting has also been much better, and Green’s return could elevate their shooting even more.
Green is one of the best 3-point shooters on the team and is automatic from the corners. Hitting corner threes is essential in the playoffs, especially for a player in a limited role like Green, and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will create plenty of these looks.
Getting Green back before the playoffs would be massive for the Mavs, and his energy off the bench has been missed. Green’s ability to full-court press will also likely be utilized in the playoffs, and it’ll be interesting to see how the rotation changes once he returns.
9. Against: The Denver Nuggets grabbing the No. 1 seed
As things stand now, the Denver Nuggets are just one game back from the Oklahoma City Thunder and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
How does this relate to the Dallas Mavericks you may ask?
The Mavs are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference as they have a 45-30 record, and if they continue to play at an elite level, they’ll likely be the No. 4 or 5 seed and play the LA Clippers. While the Clippers will be a hard matchup of their own, looking ahead, the Mavs would play the winner of the series between the No. 1 and 8 seeds.
Avoiding the Nuggets until the Western Conference Finals could be big for the Mavs, as they seem to be the biggest thing standing in Dallas’ way from making an NBA Finals run. The Nuggets are undoubtedly the best team in the Western Conference, and playing the Thunder in the second round rather than the Nuggets would work in the Mavs’ favor. The Nuggets have even been ruled a “nightmare matchup” for the Mavs.
At this point of the season, you can only control what you can control, but avoiding the Nuggets for as long as possible is ideal. This isn’t to say that the Thunder would be an easy matchup, but Dallas matches up much better with Oklahoma City on paper than Denver.
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8. For: Luka Doncic to win the NBA MVP
Despite what most people in the national media are saying right now, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is making his case for the 2024 NBA MVP every single game.
This season, Doncic is averaging 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 38 percent from downtown. Doncic makes the game look easy, and his leadership alongside Kyrie Irving is why the Mavericks are playing so well right now.
No matter what opposing teams do, they can’t stop Doncic. He has to be accounted for 100 percent of the time while on offense, and his improvement as a shooter off the catch has helped this Mavericks offense get even better.
Doncic has also improved tremendously on the defensive end, as he is averaging a career-high 1.5 steals per game. When Doncic is locked in on defense, so is the rest of the team. This team will go as far as Doncic takes them, and Dallas’ rise in the West needs to be taken into consideration when voters vote for the MVP.
The Mavs have gone from a team that was likely going to be in the Play-In Tournament to a team that can win the NBA Finals, and that has been due to Doncic’s ability to lead this team and take his game to the next level.
Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic are the three frontrunners, and only time will tell who wins the 2024 NBA MVP.
7. Against: Jason Kidd making any big changes to the rotation
A few weeks ago, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said their rotation would be pretty much set with around 10 games left. The Mavs now have eight games left, and there is no need to make any huge changes to the rotation with this little time left in the season.
You are what you are at this point of the season, and now isn’t the time to try out different rotations or lineups (unless they’re in a blowout). Kidd has teased Jaden Hardy potentially being a part of the rotation, and despite showing great potential, he may be the one who gets left out of the rotation.
Hardy’s minutes have gone up and down over the last few weeks, and as the rotation shrinks once the playoffs hit, the Mavs may not have minutes for him. This doesn’t mean that Hardy will never be in the rotation, but I don’t see Kidd playing Hardy over Tim Hardaway Jr., Josh Green, or Dante Exum. All three of those guards will likely come off the bench before him, and Hardy’s time may just be next year.
The entire organization seems to like Hardy and what he can bring, but even Kidd has alluded to Hardy not joining the rotation this year. He has been a hard player to evaluate lately, but now is not the time for Kidd to give a new role to anyone.
6. For: More Dante Exum minutes
Dante Exum has become one of the most underrated players in the NBA this season, and he has quickly become one of the Dallas Mavericks’ key pieces as the playoffs quickly approach.
5. Against: Houston Rockets making the Play-In Tournament
Before the Dallas Mavericks played the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, they were the hottest team in the NBA. The Rockets had won 11 games in a row and were performing at a high level without star center Alperen Sengun.
4. For: P.J. Washington’s hot shooting to continue
When the Dallas Mavericks traded for P.J. Washington at the trade deadline, it was a move that excited many fans. Washington is someone who many Mavs fans wanted them to sign over the summer, and their wish came true when Dallas traded for him.
3. Against: Tim Hardaway Jr. getting less minutes
Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the most polarizing player on the roster this season, but recently he has been playing much better. Hardaway Jr. has been a key piece for the Mavs for his entire tenure in Dallas and now isn’t the time for the Mavs to decrease his minutes unless he goes into another big slump.
2. For: Dereck Lively II to stay healthy
The Dallas Mavericks struck gold in the 2024 NBA Draft when they drafted Dereck Lively II with the No. 12 pick out of Duke. Mark Cuban said they needed a rim protector earlier that day, and that’s exactly what they got later that day.
1. Against: The New Orleans Pelicans in every game
The difference between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans in the Western Conference standings is just half a game, and Mavs fans should be rooting against the Pelicans in every game that they play in.
If the Mavs take care of business in all of their games then what the Pelicans do won’t matter, but getting some help with some more New Orleans losses would help Dallas. There is no room for error in the Western Conference right now, and the Pelicans pose the biggest threat to the Mavs right now when it comes to teams on their tail.
If the Mavericks can beat out the Pelicans and grab the No. 4 or 5 seed, they will likely play the LA Clippers. This would be the third time that the Mavs have played the Clippers in the playoffs in the Luka Doncic era. The Clippers would be a tough matchup for the Mavs, but with as well as Dallas is playing, the Mavs could easily knock them off.
New Orleans losing and Dallas winning could set up a perfect playoff rematch for the Mavs, and Doncic would likely be eager for another chance at beating the Clippers. The next few weeks will be crucial for the Mavs to remain deep in the playoff hunt, and all signs are pointing to them avoiding the Play-In Tournament.
For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks for the remainder of the season, stay tuned.
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