DALLAS, TEXAS – The Mavericks are reeling and are doing so at the right time. Since the beginning of the new month the Mavericks are 4-2 and will play mostly at home against divisional opponents in their next 3 out of 5 games. This will be the best chance for the Mavericks to gain the inside track in the division and possibly sow things up in the month of March.
Dallas is 2.5 games out of first place as of right now but all they need is for the right pieces to fall into place and take advantage of the other teams misfortune.
Why are the Mavericks the biggest threat to the opposing teams within their division?
Let’s start at the baseline. Which team in the Southwestern division has the most wins so far in the month of February?
The Mavericks lead all teams within division in wins this month and the Pelicans are a close second winning 3 out of their 6 games. All of that could change on Friday night when the Mavericks host the Pelicans at the American Airlines Center. The division leaders the Spurs have won 3 of their games, the Grizzlies have won 2, and the Rockets have won 1.
The Mavericks have been able to stay in pace with the rest of the division even after their Covid-19 and injury woes. Most of the teams in the Southwestern division have had healthy rosters for most of the season and it is quite telling that even on the Mavericks worst day, their roster is far more talented than the other teams, it just took them a little bit longer to find their rhythm. The other teams for the most part are who they are, and the Mavericks are just getting started.
Let’s talk about winning streaks.
Out of all 5 teams in the Southwest division the only two teams to have won more than 1 game consecutively are the Mavericks and the Grizzlies. The Mavericks are currently riding a 3 game winning streak which is their second longest winning streak of the season and the Grizzlies snapped their four game losing streak last night defeating the Hornets in hopes of beginning their own winning streak. Dallas has been one of the streakier teams in the NBA this month and have two W’s in the statement win category.
It may not seem like a big deal right now, but with the first half of the season inching closer to its conclusion, it means something.
DEFENSE!
Defense has essentially been non-existent for the teams in the Southwestern division. All of the teams have allowed each of their opponents to score more than 100 points and in some cases more than 110 points. The difference is the caliber of talent the Mavericks have faced in comparison to what the rest of the division has had to face.
So far this month have played the Suns, the Hawks and Warriors twice and the Timberwolves which was probably the worst team they have played this entire season. Dallas has only lost one game this month by 20 points or more, while the other teams within the division have lost by a 10 point margin two times or more.
There have been spots where the Mavericks defense has struggled but more than anything their defense has been used as a valuable asset to keep them in games or propel them to victory.
The Bigger Picture
Now that the Mavericks are back to being at full health we see how dangerous this team can be when they put everything together. There are designated roles for each player on the team and everyone plays for one another and that is the biggest difference maker. It isn’t about one player or two players, it’s about the entire team and each night they have taken the floor this month the team has only gotten better.
The Mavericks are a selfless bunch and when you partner that with chemistry, continuity and talent, the sky’s the limit and that is why the Mavericks should be considered the biggest threat to any team in the Southwestern division as the season progresses from this point forward.
