The Dallas Mavericks have not had a good season this year. They were one of the teams that fans expected to make the playoffs without breaking a sweat but that has not been the case at all. The Mavs acquired Kyrie Irving in a sensational trade and let go of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian-Finney Smith. Although they addressed the problem of the lack of help for Luka Doncic, Mark Cuban and Co. left out one important aspect.
The franchise did not address the defensive woes and did not fill up the loopholes that existed for a long time. This has been one of the major reasons why they haven’t been to the NBA Finals in a long time as well. Defense is an important part of the game, and when a team does not have suitable players to put limit opponents’ movement on the court, the damage will be huge.
This has been the case with the Mavs. They have two All-Star players in Kyrie and Luka but their defense and playmaking have let them down on multiple occasions this year. This has surely damaged their playoff chances.
Will the Dallas Mavericks make the playoffs this season?
The Mavs have a record of 37 wins and 40 losses this year. They have the 11th seed right now and are below the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Playoffs might still be a dream for them, especially considering how they continue to lose. Recently, the Mavs lost 108-116 to the Philadelphia 76ers. This led Kyrie to make an honest admission about the team’s situation.
Irving told The Dallas Morning News, “Where we are in the season and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of looks like, you know, a bit of a clusterf**k right now, to be honest with you. We’re 37-40 and trying to fight to get in the play-in game, and it’s not the expectations I think any of us had.”
Luka Doncic after Mavs’ loss to Sixers: “We still have chances, so we shouldn’t give up yet.”
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) March 30, 2023
Apart from that, Luka also mentioned that the Mavs will not be giving up just yet. They face the Miami Heat after this, and then the Atlanta Hawks. Both of these games are must-win for the Mavs. They can only make the playoffs if they get past the Heat and the Hawks, provided the other Western Conference teams lose in the coming days.