There are still two or three rounds left in the NBA regular season, and the rankings of the first and last parts of the division have basically been locked, while the ranking of the middle part is still confusing, and it cannot be determined until the last moment. The average level of the league this season is very high, and most teams have the strength to impact the playoffs, especially in the West, where there are many giants and many young dark horse teams. When it comes to the big teams, the first impression is definitely the Clippers, Suns, Lakers and Warriors, because they all have multiple superstars in the roster. The Clippers have Leonard + George + Westbrook + Harden Dream Four, the four of them work together happily, and they are all willing to make sacrifices and do their best to contribute to the team. Ka and George's offensive form is still in its prime, and although Harden's scoring ability is not as good as before, he can still make a difference on the organizational end.
And Wei Shao is powerful, as the spiritual core of the team, providing a source of energy for the team, a strong team is absolutely indispensable to Wei Shao's soul. In addition, the Suns also have the Big Three of Durant + Beal + Booker, and the offensive firepower is full of Qiqi, and all three have the experience of being led by the boss. The Lakers' Zhan Mei combination, the deterrent is still there, James's sword is not old, and the thick eyebrows are dreaming of returning to the peak this season, and the body is much tougher, and it has not been affected by injuries much. Russell, the Lakers' third-leading scorer, is also an All-Star. The Warriors have more All-Star-level figures, Curry, Thompson, Dream Green, Wiggins and Paul, all five have been selected as All-Stars, although their overall performance in the regular season is average, but once they enter the playoffs, I believe the Warriors can also pose a great threat to other teams.
When it comes to the biggest team in the West, it's actually easy to overlook this team, and that's the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks also have two superstars, Doncic and Irving, Doncic can be said to be the strongest guard in the league today, and Irving has not fallen off the altar this season, and his scoring ability is super strong. This season, the Mavericks' ranking is also very stable, and they have been in the middle and upper reaches of the Western Conference, and at the end of the season, they have also suddenly made efforts and won many battles. In the past 18 games, the Mavericks have been 16-2, with a winning rate of 88.9%, ranking first in the league during the same period. During this period, they have also defeated the Eastern champion Heat, the defending champion Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors, and the Western dark horse Kings.
You must know that last year, they didn't even qualify for the play-offs, and the final ranking of the regular season was only 11th in the West, which was a big surprise. Even if there is an "Eastern European combination", but last season's Mavericks, the lineup structure is very problematic, too many players who need to hold the ball alone, the interior is relatively weak, and the defensive end is completely inferior to other strong teams, it is a team with acceptable offense and extremely weak defense. In order to improve the situation, the Mavericks management has also made a lot of changes in the past year, they got rid of Bertans' garbage contract in the offseason, sent away Wood, who was inefficient on offense and wanted to occupy the ball, traded the likes of Legway and Curry Jr. to strengthen the team's forward line and projection, and selected top blue-collar center Lively in the draft.
Not only that, before the trade deadline this season, the Mavericks also traded two transactions in exchange for the Hornets' top scorer PJ Washington, and the Wizards' main center Gafford so that the Mavericks have no shortcomings in the lineup, and their interior strength has directly risen several notches. Lively was an eye-catcher when he first arrived, ranking third in the league in 75.4 percent interior shooting this season, while Gafford was even more exaggerated, ranking first in the league in 78.9 percent interior shooting percentage and also first in the league in 72.5 percent shooting percentage. According to statistics, in 11 of the 28 games since Gaford joined the Mavericks, the shooting rate has exceeded 80%, 8 of which have reached 100%, and have never been below 50% in a single game. Not only that, but the Mavericks have also become a defensive powerhouse.
In their last 17 games, they have ranked first in the league in defensive efficiency of 106.3, compared to the Timberwolves, who have the league's first defensive efficiency this season, they have 107.9, and the Mavericks have been even better in those 17 games. 16-2! Quietly becoming the favorite to win the championship! The NBA's most underrated team can't find any weaknesses. While the giants in the West are competing for supremacy, no one has noticed that the Mavericks team has quietly risen and is running for the championship.
The roster structure is so reasonable, both offensive and defensive, and the role players are so good, not to mention the two cores of Doncic and Irving. Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game this season, locking up the scoring title. Irving, on the other hand, is the closest player to the 180 club this season, and his offense is extremely efficient, shooting 49.7%, 41.1%, and 90.5% from three, which is just 0.3 percentage points short of shooting. The Mavericks' first-round playoff opponent is the Los Angeles Clippers, who do you think will have the last laugh?