There are dark horse teams every year, and there are especially many new seasons. In the past few months, many dark horse teams in the east and west have risen super, which has more or less affected the league pattern. In the East, the young Magic team has become the biggest dark horse under the leadership of Banchero, they have a record of 46 wins and 32 losses, ranking third in the East, and are expected to return to the playoffs after four years; At the end of the regular season, another dark horse team was born!
I'm talking about the Dallas Mavericks. Back in the last offseason, the Mavericks agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract extension with Irving, using the Eastern European combination as the cornerstone to attack the championship. However, in the face of major changes in the West that have not been seen in many years, the Mavericks' journey for the new season is not smooth. When rookie center Lively was a barometer of a team's wins and losses, you knew how deformed the Mavericks' lineup was. Faced with the reality that the team was once stuck in the play-off zone, the Mavericks gritted their teeth in the middle of the season and completed two big trades, bringing in Washington and Gafford to assist the Eastern European combination, and these two big deals are the key to the Mavericks' transformation into the strongest dark horse team!
The Mavericks' new lineup is on track after a short run-in, and its record and standings have skyrocketed! Especially in the past 16 games, the Mavericks have achieved a 14-2 record, which is the best record of the Mavericks in 16 consecutive games since the championship season. According to statistics from the NBA's official website, in the past 16 games, the Mavericks' defensive efficiency was as high as 105.3, ranking first in the league in the same period, the net efficiency value was as high as +10.7, ranking second in the league in the same period, second only to the Green Army (+11.2), and the offensive efficiency was as high as 116.1, ranking eighth in the league in the same period.
The Mavericks' transformation into a well-balanced defensive team is directly related to the two big trades completed in the middle of the season, and Gafford and PJ Washington have lived up to their mission, playing as expected by the Mavericks on both ends of the floor. Gafford played in 26 games for the Mavericks, averaging 10.8 points + 7.2 rebounds + 1.9 blocks per game, shooting 75.9% from the field, No. 1 in the league! Since Kidd used him to replace Lively's starting partner Doncic, the Mavericks have lost only one game, and they are a true blessing. PJ Washington played 26 games for the Mavericks, averaging 12.2 points + 6.3 rebounds + 1.5 assists + 1.2 steals + 1 block + 1.9 three-pointers per game.
What's really scary about the Mavericks is that they have the strongest and most dangerous duo in the league: Doncic and Irving! Doncic played in 68 games, averaging 33.9 points (1st in the league) + 9.2 rebounds + 9.8 assists (9.8 assists) + 1.5 steals + 4 three-pointers (2nd in the league) per game, with a true shooting rate of 61.7%. After signing a big contract, Irving also changed his former willfulness, focused on basketball, and never dropped the chain at critical moments. Irving played 56 games, averaging 25.8 points + 5 rebounds + 5.1 assists + 3 three-pointers per game, with a true shooting rate of 60.6%, and an average of 4.2 points per game at key moments, ranking third in the league! According to statistics, Doncic and Irving are the fifth combination in NBA history to cut 25+ at the same time and have a true shooting rate of more than 60%, the first four are Bird + McHale in 87, KD + Curry in 17, Curry + KD in 19 and Durant + Booker in 24.
At present, the Mavericks are in 5th place in the West with 48 wins and 30 losses, 2 wins behind the 4th Clippers (50-28) in the West, and 2 wins ahead of the 6th Suns (46-32) in the West. NBA celebrity Tim pointed out sharply on an ESPN show: The Mavericks have been very successful in recruiting players, they have found players with defensive and athletic ability, and the chemistry between the Eastern European combinations is getting better and better, Doncic has stepped out of his comfort zone, Irving has championship DNA, and this team will be the biggest threat to the Nuggets! That's right, the Mavericks are coming out in the form of the league's strongest dark horse, and they can change the pattern of the West! Fans, what do you think about this? Leave me a comment to discuss.