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After two painful playoff losses by the Dallas Mavericks over the past two seasons, the organization executed two magnificent moves that switched the tide of the season. First was the difficult offseason move by changing head coaches from Rick Carlisle to Jason Kidd and another move was before the trade deadline in negotiating a surprising deal for Kristaps Porzingis which saw the Mavs get Spencer Dinwiddie.
Both these actions had mixed reactions from every NBA fan, but the front office executed them brilliantly. Kidd has built an excellent defensive system that has propelled Dallas to one of the best in the league, while the package of Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans from the Washington Wizards ended up being a spectacular addition for the Mavs. As the momentum is in favor of Dallas entering the playoffs, matchups could still determine their performance at the biggest stage.
Here are the 3 best first-round scenarios for the Mavs.
3. Denver Nuggets
Having the Denver Nuggets at the tail-end of this list is due to them having a top-three MVP candidate in Nikola Jokic. Denver is the franchise that could force Dallas' bigs into foul trouble, which forces them to utilize unorthodox rotations to keep up with Jokic. Additionally, the possible return of Jamal Murray gives them a scoring punch who could match Doncic with his production.
The shooting for Denver could be an issue, but Jokic knows how to spread out the shot opportunities for his teammates to gain the necessary confidence for them to show up at the biggest stage. Doncic does the same for the members of the Mavs, so it just proves that this matchup would be the most competitive one amongst all the three given ones.
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This could be the campaign for Doncic to finally lead Dallas past the first round as there seems to be no question that his numbers would plummet at the bright lights. It may even increase when the pressure intensifies because Doncic loves stepping it up against the best of the best. It is only his fourth season in the league, but he is growing to be a commendable leader for a legitimate contender.
2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz is one franchise that has been a constant staple in the playoffs for several years now, but they seem unable to get over the hump. With their heavy three-point shooting and perimeter ball movement approach Utah fits right into the strengths of the Mavs with their defensive philosophies. Losing Porzingis forced them to play smaller, but the Jazz do not have a post threat to expose that weakness.
When it is playoff time, Utah usually runs most of their offensive sets with Donovan Mitchell as the only primary playmaker. That fits right what Dallas would want as it would make it easier for them to play at a slower pace and maximize each possession. With one of the slowest-paced teams in the league, it would be a huge disadvantage for Utah if the Mavs are able to dictate the tempo and lessen the long-distance attempts for the Jazz.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves
This would be a far-fetched matchup because the Minnesota Timberwolves will unlikely surpass the Utah Jazz for the sixth seed, but the inexperience of Minnesota in the playoffs would be a massive benefit for Dallas. Doncic would hunt for mismatches on pick and rolls as numerous of their rotational pieces would be dominated by Doncic, like D'Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, or Anthony Edwards.
Even if the initial defender can keep Doncic in front of him, Minnesota is not known to form a formidable defensive plan that would stifle Doncic from his strengths. On the defensive side, Minnesota will have trouble with the versatility and athleticism of the underrated defensive stalwarts of the Mavs. Having three guards who are not known for their defense in Doncic, Dinwiddie, and Jalen Brunson will hold their own against the combination of wings or guards thrown at them.
