The Dallas Mavericks are playing a quality brand of basketball right now, most recently leaving the Denver Nuggets stunned following Kyrie Irving's game-winner. Dallas' 107-105 victory over Denver on Sunday has them now sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference. However, what would be the Mavs' dream seeding scenario for the 2024 NBA Playoffs?
In all reality, it won't matter where Dallas ends up if they stumble entering the postseason. The Mavericks have been streaky over the past few weeks, going on various winning streaks but then losing consecutive games. Finding consistency and stabilizing it over the last month of the season will be of the utmost importance.
With that being said, landing a quality spot in the postseason would help matters. There are obviously certain teams the Mavs would prefer to play more than others.
Clinch No. 6 seed, play the Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently have the best record in the Western Conference. So would they actually be the best matchup for Dallas?
The Mavs want to clinch a playoff spot once the regular season ends as opposed to an NBA Play-In Tournament position. So that means the Mavericks must book their ticket to the playoffs as a No. 6 seed at the very least.
Sure, the Mavericks could set their sights on the No. 4 seed amid the Los Angeles Clippers' recent struggles. Of the top teams in the West, though, the Thunder may be the best matchup for Dallas.
NBA analyst Tim Legler recently shared interesting insight on a potential Mavericks-Thunder playoff clash during an appearance on The Old Man and the Three Things podcast, via Mavs Film Room on X (formerly Twitter).
“Oklahoma City would be favored in a series with the Dallas Mavericks, I believe, in a best of seven,” Legler said. “I’m not sure I would pick Oklahoma City to win that series, because of Luka… And what he has already proven he can do when the stage is the biggest and the lights are the brightest.
“I think they are right there now… You can put Dallas, for me, in the mix with any of those teams.”
So why the Thunder specifically?
The Mavs' best chance is to land the No. 5 or 6 seed. Clinching the No. 4 spot would be great as well, but No. 5 or 6 are more realistic.
The top three teams in the Western Conference, who are all separated by just a half-game, are the thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. The Clippers, who are fourth, are now five games back of Oklahoma City.
So if we are picking between Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and Denver, the Thunder are the best matchup.
The Timberwolves feature a balance of incredible defense and strong offense. Anthony Edwards is a superstar, and Rudy Gobert would make life difficult for the Mavs on the boards. Additionally, Karl-Anthony Towns may return for the playoffs.
The Mavs defeated the Nuggets on Sunday, but it would be best to avoid playing Denver for as long as possible in the postseason.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving set to lead charge
Legler thinks Luka's experience and ability to stay consistent despite pressure would pay major dividends against Oklahoma City. The Thunder are less experienced from a postseason standpoint. Of course, Kyrie is no stranger to playoff games either.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has played in a total of 13 combined playoff games. Six of those came with the Los Angeles Clippers back in 2018-19, per StatMuse.
Doncic, meanwhile, has 28 games of postseason experience. Irving has 74 playoff games played.
Oklahoma City's other stars haven't had any playoff experience. The Thunder are a young team with an extremely bright future. I'm not trying to take anything away from them, but they would be the Mavs' best matchup in this scenario.
In fact, one could argue that potential play-in games against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors would be more difficult to win than a seven-game series against OKC. Phoenix, LA, and Golden State all have superstars with no shortage of postseason experience.
Of course, Luka Doncic does tend to play his best basketball against Devin Booker in the playoffs… but that's not the point.
Dallas' playoff chances
The Mavericks are just a half-game behind the Sacramento Kings for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference as of this story's writing. Meanwhile, they are just 2.5 gams behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 5 position. Dallas is in this playoff race without a doubt.
The only question is whether or not the Mavs can avoid a losing streak and find that aforementioned consistency. The next few weeks will be incredibly important for the Mavericks.
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