Dallas Mavericks: Why They Should Be Considered Title Contenders

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Dallas Mavericks: Are the Dallas Mavericks the most underrated team in the NBA?

The Dallas Mavericks are having an incredible 2011 basketball season, yet all the talk is around the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.

While those teams deserve to be mention, none of the experts are mentioning that the Dallas Mavericks are in the mix for a run at a championship.

LA Lakers

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The Lakers have been to the Finals three years in a row and have won two championships over that span, so they should have started the year as the favorite.

The Lakers are currently the odds on favorite to win an NBA Championship. Online Sportsbook BetDSI has posted odds to win the 2011 NBA Championship and the Lakers are listed at +270 to win another ring. This is higher than any other team in the Western Conference.

This is mind boggling considering how the Lakers have played this season. The Lakers currently hold first place in the Pacific division, but that is not surprising considering how bad the other teams are in that division.

They are third overall in the West and just 1.5 games away from falling into fourth. They are coming off an embarrassing loss to the Charlotte Bobcats and an unforgivable defeat at the hands of the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers. Ron Artest seems to be ready to blow at any time and the Lakers have a glaring weakness at point guard.

It is time to take the focus off the Lakers and put it on a more deserving team.

San Antonio Spurs

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Unlike the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs deserve some of the attention that they are getting. After all, they have the best record in the NBA at the All-Star break and they have a six game lead in the Western Conference.

The Odds on the Spurs to win the 2011 NBA Championship is +275, just a notch above the Lakers.

They are a team that is littered with playoff veterans and have a head coach that should get some mentions for Coach of the Year. The Spurs should be getting some of the attention they get, but they have yet to really face an adversity on the season.

This is just one of the reasons the Dallas Mavericks should be getting some more notice as NBA title contenders.

Dallas Mavericks

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The Dallas Mavericks are getting no love from the media as contenders, but it could be argued that they have been the most impressive team all year long.

Due to the great start by the Spurs, the Mavericks are flying under the radar.

They are second in the Southwest division, behind only the Spurs, and have notched 40 wins in the first half of the season. They are 23-8 in the Western Conference, which is good for second best and they are playing championship basketball despite the fact that they have faced adversity all season long.

This team notched 40 wins up to this point and had their best player, Dirk Nowitzki, miss several games due to an injury. The Mavericks also lost the services of Caron Butler, the team’s third leading scorer for the season and have had to make up for the lost point production.  

Nowitzki is shooting 53 percent in the first half of the season, which is the best that he has ever done in his career. Jason Kidd is revitalized at the point and has been one of the reasons the Mavericks have won 13 of their last 14 games headed into the break.

The Mavericks are 9-0 in the Pacific division this season and play well against the top teams in the league.

Despite all of the accolades the Mavericks are listed at +1000 to win the NBA championship, which seems like a bargain.

The Mavericks may not be considered by many as a championship caliber basketball team, but it is time that they started to get noticed.

Matt Regaw is a B/R Featured Columnist and the founder of BookieBlitz.com, your one-stop shop for sports articles, previews and predictions. Feel free to contact Matt at [e-mail].