SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH — The 8-10 Dallas Mavericks will get another crack at the team with the best record in the NBA the 12-4 Utah Jazz tonight. In their loss on Wednesday the Jazz gained an early lead and Dallas struggled to cut the lead until the later part of the fourth quarter and the Jazz did this without Donovan Mitchell. Joe Ingles, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and Jordan Clarkson had double digit performances combining for 98 of the 114 points scored by the Jazz. It was a hard loss to take in and there are so many questions about this team as a whole, but at this moment the best way to describe the Mavericks is undefined.
Right now the Mavericks are what they are, but there is still room and time for growth. Most of the players have spoken about how the team isn’t playing like themselves and the determination they can use to fight through and become the team they know they can be. The Mavericks have played 18 games this season, but it is a small sample size. Yes, Small!
Despite the bad dealings with Covid 19, a shortened off season, and new players coming into the fold the Mavericks are still a middle of the road team and only have three blowout losses on their 2021 resume including the loss they suffered against the Jazz on Wednesday. The conclusion of the first half of the season is vastly approaching and the Mavericks have their work cut out for them, but Dallas is only two games under the .500 mark, which is not bad, but not great either, but pulling out a couple dubs can get them right back into the race.
The Mavericks are getting healthier at pivotal time, and fresh legs matter. It may take the players who are recovering or coming out of Covid 19 health and safety protocol some time to get reacclimated and get into full game shape, but having fresh legs can make the difference in the energy department.
Yes, energy.
Skillset is great, athleticism is awesome, but hustling on the floor can be the ultimate separator hence why the sport of basketball has a stat called “hustle points”. Scoring points as we all know is the way to win games, but being able to create turnovers, contesting shots, and getting hands into the passing lanes, swings momentum. Momentum is not cliche in the sport of basketball, it is a very real thing.
It would be amazing if most of the Dallas players could do what the Jazz did on Wednesday, 4 or 5 players scoring in double digits certainly translates into wins. But what would really make Dallas a dangerous team is being aggressive off the ball and causing chaos for the opposition. All great teams have a second gear, and the typically the second gear is not just scoring, it’s about effectiveness outside of scoring.
Getting gritty (not the dance) on the court can give some teams that intimidation factor. The “We Believe” Warriors are a team that come to mind. That team wasn’t the most talented or athletic, but they intimidated their opponents during their playoff run in 2007, and came close to a Western Conference title appearance. Granted this was a different age and era of basketball we are talking about and the game has changed quite a bit, but the mentality that team played with is the type of mentality that will help the Mavericks adopt and adapt to the defensive minded team they desired to be since the beginning of the season.
There are so many facets of the game the Mavericks are good at and several areas that can be improved, but it’s too early to put a stamp on who they are actually. There is plenty of time for this team to refine who they are and ultimately discover their identity in the process.
Dallas will play in Utah tonight at 9PM then will head home to face the Phoenix Suns in their second back to back this season.
