The Dallas Mavericks are in a tough spot because they lack the second star that a playoff team needs.

Luka Doncic is a fantastic player, and there's an argument to be made that if certain people see him that way, he might be a top-five player in the NBA. Obviously, there could be ten players who are better than him, but the truth is that he falls somewhere in the top-10.

As the season develops, the Mavs find themselves in an unusual scenario. There's no denying that if they made better trades around the NBA trade deadline, they'd have a far greater chance of winning in the playoffs, but they did nothing to help this team right now.

Luka's ability to consistently be the best player on the court will be the clearest answer to the Mavs' playoff success. It won't be easy for him, as he'll be up against guys like Ja Morant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Donovan Mitchell, Nikola Jokic, and perhaps even LeBron James if the Lakers can get their act together. It's never easy to outplay any of those guys, and no matter how brilliant Luka is, he won't be able to achieve it on his own.

The Mavs won't have it easy in the playoffs, but if their regular-season performance is any indicator, they have the potential to win if everything comes together at the perfect time.  On the other hand, Dallas is in an odd situation since they don't have that second guy who can take over a game.

They can surely beat some teams, but other teams will make it much more difficult for them than others.

Let's take a look at some of the teams who might pose a threat to the Mavs.

Winning an NBA title is never easy. As we have seen with the past 20 champions, every team is going to need something significant to go their way. Whether that is an unfortunate injury to someone, or having guys on the roster step up more than they ever have. There is a reason why winning a championship is so hard, and a reason why we have seen crazy upsets in the past. If a team is going to win a title, they’re going to need everyone on their roster to be playing the best basketball they possibly can, and even sometimes that isn’t enough to get the job done. Matchups are always something that is going to play a major factor, and some teams just know how to get the job done against certain teams when it matters most.

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The Biggest Threats To The Mavs In The Playoffs, Ranked

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2. Suns

The Phoenix Suns are without a doubt the top team in the Western Conference right now, and no one wants to face them. However, given how well Dallas defends, this might be a squad that Dallas could beat if all goes according to plan.

Obviously, it would be utterly unjust to predict that the Dallas Mavericks will defeat the Phoenix Suns in a playoff series at this point, simply because Phoenix has been the best team in the NBA. You can't claim anybody can beat the Phoenix Suns in a playoff series right now, but if Dallas plays their best game and defends well while Luka is the best player on the court, they might be able to surprise a few people.

1. Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are a unique team in that they are similar to the Dallas Mavericks in several aspects. Obviously, Luka Doncic is a touch better than Ja Morant at the moment, but both teams share the same weakness: neither have a second-scoring option. You could argue that Desmond Bane is a capable second scorer, but the fact is that he isn't the kind of the second star that most title contenders need.

If both of these teams match up, it will be intriguing to see how the Mavs respond on nights when they come out flat, because the Grizzlies always come out with fire and passion. Memphis always plays their best basketball, and even when they're not playing their best, they always give 110% when they're on the court.

Dallas is a difficult team to predict. We must keep in mind that most championship teams have a second star (besides when Dirk won it by himself). We must also consider the fact that Luka Doncic might be the best player on the court in whatever series he participates in, and the Mavs have an outstanding defense.

Fans are dissatisfied with some of the front office's recent moves, but they will hope that they can do a job this year and surprise a few teams.