DALLAS, TEXAS — The Mavericks have put together a solid stretch over the last week winning their last four games not losing in a week’s plus time. What Dallas has done battling bad break after bad break speaks to the culture that has been developed, but has left the team in a somewhat tough position if we are talking about playoff implications.
If the season was to end today the Mavericks would be the 7th seed meaning they would play in the NBA’s “play-in” tournament to decide which team seeded 7th through 10th in each respective conference would secure the final spot in the playoffs. The good thing about the play-in system is that yes, there is a chance to make the playoffs, but the downside to it all is the big IF.
What IF Dallas hosted a play-in game and lost? What IF they win against the 8th seed but lose to the 9th or 10th seed in the final game to secure the playoff spot? The answers to those questions answer exactly why the NBA made the decision to put this specific system into action. It creates a sense that the regular season matters and positioning is king. The Mavericks trail the 6th seed in the west the Portland Trailblazers by 2.5 games which isn’t an insurmountable gap.
The good news for the Mavericks is that the bulk of their road travels will cease for most of April. Home cooking is always the best cooking. Home court advantage wasn’t a thing for most of the season, but now that some NBA teams are permitting fans to walk through the turnstiles, home court advantage will certainly be a factor when the playoffs kick off.
The road to closing the gap to capturing the 6th seed begins tonight. The Mavericks will face the Utah Jazz who own the NBA’s best record and is the #1 seed in the west as it stands and the Jazz are rolling right now winning their last 9 games and haven’t lost a game since March 19th. During that same span, the Mavericks are 6-3 which isn’t bad at all and illustrates how well the Mavericks have played and that they are one of the streakier teams in the western conference.
Utah has won the last 13 out of 16 meetings and lead the regular season series 2-0. The last time two teams played was in late January where the Jazz beat the Mavericks in two consecutive games, and the last game the Mavericks won was in the bubble. The last game Dallas won at home against Utah was more than 2 years ago when the Mavericks defeated the Jazz by 50 points.
A win tonight will keep the Mavericks in the hunt and will put them one game closer to tying the Trailblazers in the playoff race. Dallas will be keeping tabs on Portland the next two games because interestingly enough, Portland’s next two opponents will be the 3rd seeded Clippers and the #1 seeded Utah Jazz, which could be the bridge the Mavericks need to at least grab hold of the 6th seed and make things interesting as the playoffs approach.
All the Mavericks need to do in the meantime is simple, win.
