Last season, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Dallas was the seventh-seeded team in Western Conference and gave the Los Angeles Clippers a very tough playoff series before losing in six in the first round.
For Dallas, it’s a new year and a new team. The top two guys are the same in Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, but Dallas added Josh Richardson from Philadelphia in a deal that sent Seth Curry to the 76ers. Also, they had added more toughness by adding James Johnson another trade.
Tim Hardaway Jr., who returned to Dallas after opting into the final year of his contract, believes the Mavericks are a very confident team.
“We know what we have to do out there on the floor to be a productive playoff-caliber team,” Hardaway Jr. said. “And it is on us to just go out there and execute. The coaching staff has done a hell of a job this whole training camp so far of preparing us and making sure we are on track, and making sure everyone is focused. From a confidence standpoint, it is really high. We have to take that on the road when we start next week.”
According to Mavericks F Dorian Finney-Smith, the goal is not just the playoffs, but to win a title this season.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys, especially with the new guys. They’ve all been here, and we all want one thing – that’s to win and get back to the playoffs and win the championship.”
Dallas can be a very good team this season, but they are in the Western Conference, which won’t be easy. To get to that next level, Dallas has to defend better, and while they were not a bad defensive team last season(16th in points allowed), the defense must improve, and Richardson should help in that area.
There is a lot of talk about Doncic being one of the MVP favorites, but for that to happen, Dallas must be one of the top teams in the league, which, if they want to have a long playoff run, is something that probably needs to happen.
