Can the Dallas Mavericks Make the NBA Playoffs Playing Like This?

In the NBA, it's extremely rare for a defending NBA champion to miss the playoffs the following season, but that could be exactly the danger the Dallas Mavericks are in.

While it's too early to play the "If the playoffs started today," game, the reality is that if they did, the Mavericks would be on the outside looking in.

That begs the question of can the Mavericks make the playoffs playing this way?

That answer is no, for the simple reason that they haven't been very good.

No one on the team has been playing very well either, and that includes Dirk Nowitzki.

They barely defend. They don't rebound and they have problems scoring.

Dallas has only two players, Nowitzki and Jason Terry, who are averaging double figures in points.

The Western Conference is tough. There's likely to be as many as 11 teams chasing the eight playoff spots, and with only 66 games this season, things could get away from the Mavericks rather quickly.

The good news is that this team is too talented to keep playing this way for long. At least you would think.

The likes of Vince Carter, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom and others eventually have to begin to play better eventually.

But the most important thing is that they have to get back to playing the way they did that made them champions in the first place.

Much has been made of not having Tyson Chandler around, but they still have plenty of talented players. At least enough talent that making the playoffs a lock.

Not if they keep playing this way, though. If they don't turn things around and do so quickly, Dallas won't only not be a playoff team, but they will be one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA in some time.