The Dallas Mavericks simply came up short against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. However, Mavs owner Mark Cuban believes they could have had a better fighting chance if they were not missing Tim Hardaway Jr.
Cuban is not making any excuses about the loss. The Warriors made it clear to the Mavs who is the better team. Stephen Curry and co. also showed Dallas what they are lacking after getting outplayed in the painted area.
According to the Mavs boss, though, the absence of Hardaway limited their options offensively. Put simply, they could have played better had their second-best scorer been available:
“And not to make excuses, I think Timmy not being there hurt us. Because he really was our one guy after Spencer, JB and Luka, who could attack close outs and is our best shooter,” Cuban said in an exclusive interview with the Dallas Morning News.
Mark Cuban expressed confidence that the team will be better when Tim Hardaway Jr. recovers and returns for the Mavs. THJ suffered a fracture in his left foot late in January, and he has been out since then after undergoing surgery.
There were initial hopes that Hardaway could make a comeback during the playoffs, but it was quite clear he was unable to get back to 100 percent health and in playing condition after being out for so long.
Hopefully, with Hardaway returning and the Mavs‘ core staying intact along with new additions, Dallas can finally make a deeper run in the playoffs come the 2022-23 campaign.
Follow Us
Subscribe