Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has only one thing in his mind as the Mavs find themselves fighting for the no. 5 seed while looking to avoid the play-in tournament: keep winning.
Doncic made that abundantly clear after the Mavs took down the New Orleans Pelicans to move one step closer to securing their postseason berth. According to the Slovenian youngster, Dallas has to be able to beat everybody and anybody if they want to win the title.
“If you want to win a championship, you've got to beat everybody, so I think we'll go from there,” Doncic said when asked whether clinching the no. 5 seed matters to him as much as avoiding the play-in tournament, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
Luka Doncic is right, though. As the Mavs aspire to claim the title, it really doesn't matter what position they are in during the playoffs. While homecourt advantage sure does count for something, what's more important for the team is to be able to contend among the best of the pack.
The Western Conference have several contenders, with the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets leading the Top 4. Let's not forget that the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors remain huge threats despite their low standing.
Simply put, the Mavs need to do just a couple of things as they look to make waves in the postseason: win and keep their eyes on the big prize.