Dallas Mavericks: Do They Still Have a Shot?

This article is also posted at hoops4life.com, an NBA fan site.

In 2006, the Dallas Mavericks completed their march to the NBA Finals. They reached to the final series after an impressive Playoff statement. Then they faced Dwayne Wade’s Miami Heat. Everything was rolling after the first couple of games played at Dallas. The team coached by Avery Johnson clinched both, and moved to Florida to close the Finals.

In the third game, the script was the same. With 6:31 to play in the fourth, Dallas was more than 15 up. But then, the lights turned off. Wade appeared as a genius, leading his team to an impossible victory. The Mavs didn’t overcome the upset, and the Heat won three more in a row, clinching his first NBA title.

Two years later, the Mavericks haven’t overcome yet. Two first round eliminations for a team called to be great. Especially thought was in 2007, when the Warriors beat them. The first time in NBA Playoffs that the eight seed upsets the first one. This year, after a disgusting regular season, the Hornets eliminate the Mavs.

During the regular season, the final started to be so predicable. The team never run. The front office tried to change the dynamic and build some momentum by a trade. In a multi-trade, they sent emergent guard Devin Harris to the Nets, receiving League veteran Jason Kidd.

Kidd and Carlisle

Kidd is absolutely one of the best guards in the game, but he never adapted to his new team. The Mavs played even worse since his reach, and he couldn’t build chemistry around him. I suppose that it will change this year. He will be in the team from the first day, and he will be a difference maker.

Kidd arrival is not the main change for the upcoming season. Former head coach of Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers Rick Carlisle replaces Johnson on the bench. Carlisle is a winner. He is an outstanding regular season coach, but there are doubts on him in Playoff. In my opinion he doesn’t react well during eliminatory. Apart of this, I think he could be the right guy to rebirth this Mavs, because they have talent.

They have a pretty nice big three. Kidd, Nowitzki and Howard are a bunch of dynamic players. They haven’t got a remarkable center, but the combo between Dampier and Diop is interesting. They also have good scorers such as Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse. Well, they have the weapons, and they have a good coaching crew, but, are they real contenders?

In my opinion yes. They have to start fast, grab many victories and start to build some momentum. They have to forget the previous seasons. They have to be winners, and believe in their possibilities. Then, they will be in the hunt, because they are a real talented group of players.