Of all the teams that could potentially give the Dallas Mavericks fits, you wouldn’t expect it to be the Golden State Warriors. But last night, the Warriors frustrated Dallas again. Last night’s 117-100 win snapped the Mavericks’ 17 game winning streak and in the process, extended Golden State’s winning streak over the Mavericks to four.

You can’t expect the Mavs to be great every game. They’re 52-10 and they’re getting everybody’s best shot. Last night’s sellout crowd was instrumental in giving the Warriors the edge. But so was the Mavericks’ schedule. They had just wrecked the Lakers on Sunday night in a nationally televised game and may be looking towards Wednesday’s game with Phoenix. The Warriors also had the motivation of wearing their throwback uniforms, which may be the best in the NBA. Dirk Nowitzki wasn’t amused.

“We were backpedaling all game long. We were just never really ready to play. That’s something we’ve got to learn from if we want to do anything this year in the postseason,” said Nowitzki.

Calm down Dirk. One road loss isn’t the end of the world. Your team has lost three times in the last three months so maybe you’re overreacting a bit. Every team has 23 turnover performances. Every team has a game where they give up 57% shooting. It’s just a bit shocking that the Warriors have been the team to do it lately.

Did you hear that loud smash last night? It was Dirk-Bot owning the entire state of Wisconsin in yet another amazing performance by the superstar German in yet another amazing Mavericks win. Dirk went for 38 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and captained a 16 point comeback against the hapless Bucks. Chew on that Milwaukee.

Are the Mavericks beatable? Probably not. It’s easy to put the Mavs and Suns side-by-side in comparison because they are both great teams. Look closely, however, and you’ll realize its not as neck and neck as you may think. The Suns minus Steve Nash have proved lately with back to back losses to Atlanta and Chicago that they are human. The Mavs, however, aren’t. Disagree? Take it up with Dirk-Bot. Nowitzki is simply out of his mind. He’s the perfect combination of size, strength, and a downright sick ability to shoot the ball. Don’t take it from me, take it from his freak average of 25 points, 9.4 boards, and a ridiculous 50% shooting from the floor. Put Dirk next to All-Star Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and role players such as Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, and even the insane African DeSagana Diop and you have a team that is headed for an NBA title. Lets put it this way. The Mavs started the season 3-5. Since that point, they have gone 40-4.

I love how the East simply has no chance whatsoever when it matches up against the West. The real dispute over the NBA title is between Dallas and Phoenix, not between the East and the West. I can guarantee you Mark Cuban and the Mavs weren’t pleased when they got bounced in the finals by the Heat last season, and it’s very apparent to me that this team is on a mission. It’s on a mission with a leader. Are you a Nowitzness? I sure am.

Over the next month until opening night on October 31, I?ll be previewing one NBA team a day. Starting in the Eastern Conference, I?ll be starting with my lowest ranked team and continuing to the best, then switching conferences. Enjoy.

Dallas Can Finish the Job This Season
If it wasn’t for Dwyane Wade, the Dallas Mavericks would be getting ready to defend their NBA Championship. It’s crazy to think Dallas has become a better team since letting Steve Nash walk to Phoenix. But they have. Their new identity of actually playing defense, unlike old Nash-led Dallas teams, is the reason they were two games away from winning the championship. The Mavericks return their top seven players and seem like a lock to be one of the final two teams standing in the Western Conference. This isn’t a team that will fade after losing in the NBA Finals; they’ll be right back near the top and might just win it all.

Overview
Obviously, it all starts with Dirk Nowitzki. He may not play much defense but when everyone else on the roster is a great defender, it makes up for it. What he does is score. He averaged almost 27 points per game to go with 9 rebounds. His supporting cast is phenomenal as well. Jason Terry had great performance after great performance in the playoffs. He’s moving to shooting guard to accommodate for Devin Harris’ insertion into the starting point guard spot. Josh Howard is one of the best small forwards in the league and one of the best defenders as well. The Mavs are strong in their depth inside, with Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop adding defense and rebounding. They also added Austin Croshere, Devean George, and Anthony Johnson to a bench led by Jerry Stackhouse, a once-dominant scorer that has accepted his role as 6th man. Clearly, the Mavericks don’t really have weaknesses. Read the rest of this entry »