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How about 50 wins for the Dallas Mavericks?
What was once a ridiculous notion now looks inevitable. Dallas needs one win in three tries to become the 5th and final team in the West to reach 50, a benchmark for an excellent campaign. Sounds like easy pickings for the hottest squad in the NBA.
The Mavs enter the last week of the regular season playing at the levels exceeding even those among their peers atop a loaded conference. The Western Conference’s overall might can skew things. For example, Dallas would currently be the second seed in the East, which showcases the talent that the Mavs have had to fight through and their own power level as they’ve risen from play-in maybe to full-fledged playoff combatants.
The Mavericks 17-7 record since the All-Star break is one game better than the Minnesota Timberwolves, the current top seed in the West, within the same timeframe. The Mavs have lost just twice in the last thirty days. As a result, Dallas no longer needs to worry about earning their spot via the daunting play-in tournament and can finish no lower than the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
A team that was injured and uncoordinated for much of the first half now finds themselves in position for their best finish since the 2021 season, which saw them reach the Western Conference finals.
With this resurgence, the team has shown incredible chemistry between stars and role players alike. Within the last week, the Mavs have seen clutch contributions from Dante Exum, Daniel Gafford, and P.J Washington all while receiving the excellence that they expect from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Irving’s Comeback Player of the Year-caliber season finally received its flowers as he was recognized with NBA Player of the Week honors for the first time since 2015. Kyrie’s 48 point explosion over the now-eliminated Houston Rockets was his best performance in a Dallas uniform since his arrival, and Irving (25.6 PPG, 49.5% FG, 40.7% 3P) is now outscoring possible playoff rivals such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George on the season.
The Maverick’s ascent has also elevated the case for Luka Doncic to be named NBA MVP, and Doncic will end the week with a new single-season Mav scoring benchmark after surpassing Mark Aguirre’s over 40 year old mark while also wrapping up the league’s scoring title.
