By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Dallas is sitting pretty! One might say, “Dallas is in the 5th spot in the West, that’s not sitting pretty!” Dallas is on the verge of making the playoffs and the 5th spot will get them at least Memphis in the first round. Dallas can make a run this year deep into the playoffs barring any injuries to star players.
Dallas was on a 3-game win streak and this should be the perfect time to hit a nice stride leading to the end of the season and gearing up for the playoffs. Over the past 10 games Dallas was 7-3 and dropping very winnable games to New York, Philadelphia and Houston. Dallas has quality wins over Washington, Memphis and Golden State. The only thing that fans are concerned about is rebounding and turnovers… until the lowly Sacramento Kings pulled a season series sweep on the Mavs. Now what?!?
Rebounding plays a big part in wins and loses. When Dallas is rebounding (on both ends of the floor) they average 9 points per game. When they struggle rebounding the ball they lose by 11. Look for the Mavs to pull it together over the next two weeks of the season. Rebounding on the defensive end keeps the Mavs in tight games and allows the guards to get easy transition baskets. Rebounding is the key for this team at this juncture of the season.
Turnovers will be the focus for the team in the open floor. Dallas is a team that creates turnovers in the half court, but when they get out into the open floor, they give the ball right back to the opposition. Dallas is a very explosive team that relies on excellent guard play from the back court. Players such as Luka Doncic, Jaylen Bronson and Tim Hardaway, Jr. have to be able to protect the ball in crucial situations. The team’s turnover/assist ratio is 3.1. That’s slim especially at this time of the year.
Upcoming Games
5/4 – Miami – 7:00 p.m.
5/6 – Brooklyn – 6:30 pm TNT
5/7 – Cleveland – 7:30 pm
5/9 – Cleveland 6:00 pm
5/11 – Memphis 7 pm
