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Before the 2019-20 season was suspended in March, the Dallas Mavericks racked up 40 wins and were in seventh place in the Western Conference standings. Once the “bubble” games begin in Orlando on July 30, the Mavs will have virtually locked up a playoff spot.
Dallas hasn't been to the postseason since 2016. Moreover, the Mavs franchise hasn't won a postseason series since the 2011 championship over LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.
With All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis leading the way, the Mavs could make some serious noise during the “bubble” games since KP has been able to rest his surgically repaired knee thanks to the hiatus, while Doncic has been able to get stronger, both mentally and physically.
What is preventing pundits, though, from picking the Mavs to win it all at the “bubble” games? Let's take a look.
3. Can Tim Hardaway Jr. be a reliable third option on offense?
Doncic is already a superstar in just his second season in the NBA. He was averaging 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists for the Mavs prior to games getting suspended.
Porzingis, meanwhile, has fully recovered from his ACL tear and is once again one of the best power forwards in the game. The “Unicorn” put up 19.2 points and 9.5 rebounds as Doncic’s partner in crime before Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test.
In the playoffs, teams usually need three 20-point scorers to win games consistently since the game slows down in the postseason and half-court scoring is much harder than it is in the regular season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. was averaging 15.8 points and shooting 40.7 percent from beyond the arc this season for the Mavs. He has the skill set to be a lethal shooter and scorer for the Mavs once the “bubble” games begin.
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If teams are going to double and trap Doncic and Porzingis at every turn, Hardaway has to step his game up and be more of a playmaker instead of just spotting up for 3.
2. Will Kristaps Porzingis' surgically repaired knee hold up?
Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum had a phone call with NBPA executive director Michele Roberts last week about the NBPA possibly facilitating talks with the league on possible insurance allowances for players.
Guys like Porzingis are prone to get hurt at the “bubble” games. The Mavs star hasn't played in a real game since March and it's unclear if his surgically repaired ACL will react the right way once Porzingis' body is thrown back into the fire.
It's worth mentioning that Porzingis dealt with knee soreness this season, in both knees, not just his surgically repaired one.
1. Will the Mavs' stellar 3-point shooting travel with them to Orlando?
Prior to games getting suspended in March, Dallas hit 1,026 shots from beyond the arc. As a team, the Mavs shot 36.9 percent from deep. That's pretty impressive and one of the reasons they averaged 116.4 points per game.
Will that stellar shooting travel with the club to Orlando, though? Players have been off since March. Sure, the training camps at Disney World will allow guys to get familiar with the rims at the Walt Disney World campus.
However, there's no guarantee guys like Seth Curry, Doncic, Porzingis and Hardaway Jr. will be able to find their shooting touch in time for the Mavs to make a serious run at the title.
