The NBA regular season matchup has come to an end, and the competition for playoff spots is still very fierce. On the surface, there is less competitive pressure in the Eastern Conference, but it is not. In addition to the Celtics, several other playoff-level teams in the East have a very small record gap, with the Bucks, who are second in the East, and the Pacers, who are sixth in the East, only less than three wins apart. The 7th and 8th in the East are still the 76ers and the Heat, the hard power of these two teams is definitely more than their current ranking, after all, the 76ers' star Embiid has missed a lot of games due to injury, which has led to a decline in the team's record. The Heat, on the other hand, did not make a commitment in the regular season, but in the playoffs, they hit hard.
The west side is even more demons dancing, with a number of dark horse teams and giant teams showing their own powers. The Clippers, Lakers, Suns and Warriors, the four teams with the largest fan base and the largest traffic, all have to compete for playoff spots, while the Thunder, Timberwolves, Kings, and Pelicans are super dark horse teams that are rising strongly, calling for those traditional giants. In addition, the Western Conference also has the defending champion Nuggets, and the Dallas Mavericks led by the Eastern European pair. When it comes to the Mavericks, they are really not to be underestimated, they are more like a team between the giants and the dark horses. Compared with last season, the Mavericks have greatly improved the roster structure. In the past few years, the Mavericks have been short on the inside and defense, and the restricted area is supported by Wood and Powell, which is really a bit reluctant.
Wood is an offensive player who needs to digest the ball, Powell has limited ability as a veteran center, and the Mavericks have no one to do the dirty work in the restricted area. In the offseason last summer, the Mavericks management suddenly opened up and completed a lot of wonderful operations, leaving Kyrie Irving, getting rid of Wood and Bertans, renewing Powell's contract at a low price, bringing in Curry Jr. and others to strengthen the front line and shooters, and also strongly selecting center Lively in the draft. Lively can be said to have helped them with the addition of a charcoal in the snow, just came to the Mavericks, Lively became the team's core center, taking on a variety of blue-collar tasks, extremely efficient offense (75.4% inside shooting percentage ranked third in the league), and the defensive end is also very strong, the Mavericks really picked up a treasure, they need this kind of player.
Not only that, the Mavericks are not satisfied with their reinforcements in the offseason, so before the trade deadline this season, the Mavericks also made two blockbuster trades to further improve the strength of the core roster, bringing in the Hornets' top scorer PJ Washington, and the Wizards' interior Gaford. With Gafford and Lively Lever, the Mavericks are no longer the team that lacks resources on the inside, and Gafford is also an excellent blue-collar center, ranking first in the league in 71.4% shooting this season and ranking sixth in the league in blocks per game with 2.1 per game. Through the reinforcement of these role players and the adjustment of the roster structure, the Mavericks' lower limit is also guaranteed, and they have basically been in the top five in the West this season, and there is a high probability that they will get a ticket to the playoffs.
Of course, if the Mavericks want to go further, they have to look at the core players Doncic and Irving. Irving is still in his prime, and he was extremely efficient at the end of the season, winning the Player of the Week award in the most recent issue. Doncic's overall performance this season is even more exaggerated, averaging a big quasi-triple-double of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game, ranking first in the league in points per game, second in the league in assist rate, and second in the league in three-point production. This season, Doncic has also hit super statistics many times, he scored 49 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists against the Nets at the beginning of the season, and he scored 50 points and 15 assists against the Suns in December, and in the game with the Hawks, Doncic hit 73 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists shocking data, which is also the league's highest single-game score after Kobe Bryant's 81 points.
Boom 73+10+7!No. 1 in the league!The strongest guard in the current team has been born, and you are going to lead the team to win the championship. There is no doubt that Doncic is the strongest guard player in the current team, his style of play does not rely much on physical talent, but uses various skills, excellent basketball IQ, all kinds of strange moves can score the ball, the projection is also quite accurate, and the ability to make damage is also very strong, you can't find a defensive method against him, this season it depends on Doncic and Mr. Joo competing for MVP. Doncic and Irving are the best duo in the NBA, and their on-court chemistry is beyond imagination, according to an anonymous NBA executive: "I wouldn't be surprised if the Mavericks go so far in the playoff process." I don't think in a seven-game series, no team's defense can stop them both. "What if this season's Mavericks really have the last laugh to win the championship?