Subscribe
Follow Us
Following a dispiriting 120-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, which officially ends the most emotionally-draining season in Dallas Mavericks history, an exasperated fan base will understandably struggle to look beyond the misery brought on by Luka Doncic's forced exit and catastrophic injury problems. But there are a couple of positives to come out of this 39-43 campaign.
The main one was undoubtedly the resilience this group displayed during unforeseen and brutal circumstances. In just a month, the reigning Western Conference champions turned into a universal punchline. The disapproval was especially evident during home games, as deluge of hostility and disgust consistently flooded general manager Nico Harrison at the American Airlines Center.
Through it all, the team fought admirably, or at least as admirably as they could with Anthony Davis out for a month and a half due to an abductor strain and Kyrie Irving sidelined indefinitely after tearing his ACL. If the city did not hold the organization responsible for the barrage of misfortune, it probably would have celebrated the Mavericks' undying grit.
Once the anger wears off a little, people will be able to properly appreciate how the players carried themselves amid insurmountable calamity. Max Christie and company are doing so now.
Mavericks did what they could
“For us as a team, most importantly the way we handled so much adversity from injuries to a big trade like that, having to mesh and jell together as a team and find a new identity, I think we did a really good job of that,” the 22-year-old shooting guard told reporters on Saturday, per ClutchPoints reporter Joey Mistretta.
“For us to get as far as we did with everything that happened this season, especially with injuries, is a testament to our character as a team and it's something we're going to look to build upon and grow upon going forward.”
Max Christie on the past two months since the trade:
“It’s been a lot… Obviously the trade has been the biggest part of that.”
Christie added that he feels the Mavs did a “good job” of finding chemistry together despite dealing with all of the adversity.
“For us to get as far… pic.twitter.com/sXJXmICMFx
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) April 19, 2025
The Luka Doncic trade has left fans feeling empty, particularly as he enjoys more success with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas marches toward an uncertain long-term future. However, the now-infamous deal did net the Mavs a nice young player in Christie who could factor into the team's big-picture outlook.
The 2022 second-round pick out of Michigan State was thrust into a difficult situation midseason after emerging as a dependable role player in LA, but he still flashed glimpses of promise after landing in Dallas. Christie scored 11.2 points in 30.4 minutes per game while shooting a respectable 36.4 percent from 3-point range in 32 games with the Mavericks.
He has the right mentality. Doncic is gone, and ramifications of that fact may continue to be felt, but the locker room can only press ahead. Ideally, the struggles this squad endured will serve as a bright spot in the midst of the doom and gloom. Stay tuned.
