The last time the Dallas Mavericks were in Miami it was Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals. That night who would have ever imagined Mark Cuban would be hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, while David Stern stood just a few feet away?
As Dallas celebrated and Dirk Nowitzki sang “We are the Champions” in just a blink of an eye, it was all over.
Time sure does fly by. In just about a month the NBA regular season will come to end meaning that the playoffs are on the horizon once again, signifying that each day the Dallas Mavericks are just hours and minutes away from the inevitable...a repeat.
That's right.
It obviously took a very special group of players to pull off the “magical” postseason Dallas had. After losing players like Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and JJ Barea in free agency many fans and so called experts made the argument that in that moment, the Mavericks lost any opportunity to regain the championship.
Not quite true.
While all of those players were key components to a championship run only two of those players were truly integral in the playoffs. Perhaps the spiritual void that Chandler left in Dallas may never be filled again but let's be clear, he is by no means irreplaceable. JJ Barea was a fan favorite but his asking price was too high, the Barea's of the world will come and go.
Countering to their losses the Mavs weren't so quiet in the off-season adding some new faces to the squad.
The biggest name no doubt being Lamar Odom, a former NBA Champion and Sixth Man of the Year with the Lakers, he was supposed to be the reliable one coming off the bench. Unfortunately so far he's been all name, and no game. The additions of Vince Carter and Delonte West have in no way hurt the team either, and with Brandan Wright you have an energetic high flying big man. A healthy Roddy Beaubois strengthens the offense and pair that with the duo of Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahimi this team does not look too shabby.
The reality is as long as the Mavs have Dirk Nowitzki, a run at a title will never be out of reach. Still in his prime, Nowitzki started the season out of shape but rapidly worked his way back into All-Star form. After averaging a mere 15.1 points a game in January, in his past ten games Nowitzki has averaged 24.3 points shooting 44% from the field.
Nowitzki also said it best a few months ago, “I haven't seen one team in the West that I'm scared of. I really haven't. I think we can compete with all of them.”
A statement which is still very true.
While the LA Lakers added Ramon Sessions, think back to last year, exactly who was Ramon Sessions? They may have gotten younger and quicker at the point-guard position but after losing Derek Fisher they lost a huge veteran player with a lot of playoff experience under his belt.
At the end of the regular season last year, Dallas held a record of 57-25, good enough for 3rd place in the West. Entering tonight's game versus the Miami Heat, Dallas holds a record of 29-22 putting them in the fifth spot. Realistically with 15 games remaining in the schedule they have a great shot at catching the third seed.
Dallas was ranked 10th in defense a season ago, today they are ranked 6th defensively allowing only 93.1 points a game.
You see, not many people seriously considered the Mavs as serious title contenders last year or even this year. Perhaps it was better that way, and it still is now.
While some may consider this to be a wasted season, in hindsight it is championship or bust. A wasted season wouldn't be fair to the City of Dallas, the players, their fans, and most importantly Dirk Nowitzki.
Battling injuries for most of the year we have yet to see a truly healthy team on the floor. If and when Lamar Odom gets his mind and game straight, all NBA teams better look out. Jason Kidd is still hungry for another championship before he retires, others like Vince Carter and Delonte West are still looking for their first.
This is a team full of savvy veterans and coach. Those are the perfect ingredients for the Mavs to win it all once again.
The road to the title always goes through the defending champions and that team just happens to be the Dallas Mavericks.
