10 Keys for Dallas Mavericks Heading into the NBA Playoffs

The defending champion Dallas Mavericks are looking anything like the team that beat the Miami Heat last June. Instead of reveling in a championship and finding ways to defend it, the Mavericks have spent most of the season sinking to lows that only the 1998-1999 Chicago Bulls can claim. 

Coincidentally, that Bulls team also lost core players, one of the most prolific coaches of all-time and suffered in the Eastern Conference during the aftermath of the lockout-shortened season. It also relegated the idea of a four-peat into the tune of a 13-37 record. 

This Dallas team lost Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler from their squad this summer. They traded for Lamar Odom, only to watch him self-destruct to a place so distant that he won't be rejoining the team this season. 

Amidst all that, the Mavericks are still in the playoff hunt, and they're fighting for their postseason lives. Here are 10 keys that Dallas must either fix or find heading into the games that really matter. 

10. 2-3 Zone Effectiveness

It's no secret that the Mavericks still boast some very formidable top-notch defenders. Shawn Marion, Delonte West and Brendan Haywood are three of the best at defending multiple positions, but the Mavericks' old legs won't be able to stand without some effective zone play.

Jason Kidd is getting old. Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki can carry the brunt of an offense, but they aren't gruesome defenders by any stretch. The 2-3 zone that was successful in slowing down the Los Angeles Lakers, OKC Thunder and Miami Heat down the stretch last season has faltered this year, however.

Chalk it up to a new mix of players, injury or age, this team hasn't been able to play zone as effectively as they were in 2011. Granted, it's a bag of tricks, and good teams will chew it up and spit it out after several possessions.

But as a change of pace, it's an effective mask to slow down a fast-paced offense like OKC or the Los Angeles Clippers, should Dallas face them in the playoffs.

9. Azubuike Insertion

Now that Lamar Odom is no longer wasting any more court time, there's a definite need for a 10th man in the rotation. Enter Kelenna Azubuike, the former Golden State Warrior who was called up Monday after Odom's dismissal.

For those of you that don't think he can make an impact with such a short window, I say why not? Who are you going to count on for Odom's 20 minutes per game? Brian Cardinal? Yi Jianlian?

The logical choice is Brandan Wright, and while he and Ian Mahinmi will both likely see a spike in playing time, Azubuike could be an intriguing defender and spot scorer for a team that has had virtually no perimeter defense from their second unit.

Shawn Marion is going to check scorers like Kevin Durant and LeBron James, should the Mavs make it that far. But Azubuike is an option for some of those minutes, and let's be honest, Dallas has nothing to lose from those 20 minutes after the lackluster performances Odom turned in this season.

8. Get in the Playoffs

It's been an afterthought for over a decade, but is it too risky to say that this Dallas Mavericks' team really runs the risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 90's?

On paper, the answer is no, but after a quick look at the standings, only two games separates Dallas as the seven seed and Phoenix, who sits at nine but are working towards making a late-season playoff push.

The schedule isn't any friendlier to Dallas the rest of the way. After two must-wins against Golden State and Sacramento this week, the Mavs close with seven of eight against playoff-caliber talent, including road games in Los Angeles and Chicago.

With Phoenix, Portland and Utah still closing ground, this isn't a year where anyone walks into the postseason. It's going to be a struggle just to get in, which would certainly be disappointing for a franchise that experienced the ultimate high less than a year ago.

7. Consistent Rotation

No one questioned Rick Carlisle when he was inserting JJ Barea into the starting lineup, especially after the 2011 Finals Game 4 win. But winning usually cures all, and since Dallas is hovering above .500 and a threat to miss the playoffs, one would have to question it this time around.

Much of the inconsistency can be contributed to Lamar Odom.

Since he's gone, and with him the headache of finding a role for him to consistently fill, Coach Carlisle can now set his playoff rotation tailored to what has worked this season. However, many questions remain.

Will flash-in-the-pan Rodrigue Beaubois find any minutes? Is Vince Carter or Delonte West the starter at the 2? What do you do behind Dirk Nowitzki?

All these questions need to be answered over the next three weeks.

6. Fix Road Woes

At 11-16 on the road this season, this Dallas team is a far cry from the one that closed the Finals in Miami.

Dallas has struggled to finish games, or even show any kind of effort when they are away from the American Airlines Center. An embarrassing three-game losing streak to road teams in Phoenix, Sacramento and Golden State is the epitome of that struggle.

They'll have a chance to resurrect some of the demons from the road this season in the coming days, playing games at Utah, Los Angeles and then traveling East to take on the Atlanta Hawks before ending the season with a potential Finals' favorite, the Chicago Bulls.

Good teams win on the road. Dallas hasn't been a good team all season, and if they want any chance at winning a playoff series, they'll have to win multiple games on the road to do so.

5. Reclaim Playoff Swagger

Last season, Dallas was the early high-seed favorite to lose to the Portland Trail Blazers, and continued that trend all the way to being underdogs in every series they were in.

They fed off that.

Led by Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyson Chandler, Dallas put their money where their mouth was in every way possible. They stood up to Kobe Bryant and the then-defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. They shut down the power duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They then avenged their painful 2006 Finals loss, and did so in style.

The current team just doesn't have that same swagger. They'll need to get it soon, or they'll be on the wrong end of an early playoff exit.

4. Avoid Costly Turnovers

Last week in the losses to Portland and Memphis, Dallas was sloppy at the end of the game. Turnovers by Dirk Nowitzki at the end of both games are uncharacteristic for him. Inbound errors from both Rodrigue Beaubois and Delonte West cost the Mavs two possessions down the stretch in Memphis.

Justify it any way you want, but that's not the kind of ball control that won a championship last season.

Dallas made their mark on closing out teams late with solid execution and clutch shots from guys named Terry, Kidd and Nowitzki.

Whatever the reason is, this year's version just doesn't have it. That's not to say they can't. But some of the errors that key guys like Kidd and Nowitzki have been making are off-base for their careers. They'll need to return to that late-game effectiveness, and do so quickly.

3. Come out Strong Each Game

The Dallas Mavericks took the first quarter off in the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night. They scored only 10 points, and that's not the first time this season that their effort in the opening quarter has forced them to claw and scratch the rest of the game.

Teams with old legs and a pedigree for success take care of their business early and protect it late. The Mavericks are using up energy they don't have just to stay alive in a game like the one they went on to lose in Memphis.

Getting an early lead is important in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki and Co. need to push tempo and force the issue in the first quarter. Dallas is a great team when they are playing from behind, because they unify on the defensive end and take care of the ball more effectively.

What if they were able to do those things with a lead? Whatever motivation needs to be given to get them in a groove early should happen, because this team will run out of gas down the stretch if they don't get some easy wins by coming out like someone is trying to steal the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Heads up, more than one team is.

2. Get Healthy

Dallas has been forced to use 12 different starting lineups this season. Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Lamar Odom, Brendan Haywood, Delonte West; the list goes on of guys that have sat out due to injury. Jason Terry has played the most games at 55, only missing two.

Dallas will again find themselves in the underdog role should they make the postseason, and that should only benefit them. This team plays best when it's back is against the wall, and if the entire roster is healthy and active, we don't have a solid sample for what they can accomplish.

Kidd, at age 39, will have to muster up every ounce of playoff grit he can bear. Dirk and Marion are both heading towards the hill that leads down the 30's, but you can't take plays off against either.

We still haven't seen a fully healthy Dallas team for more than a game or two at a time. If they can get there, who knows what can happen.

1. Team Chemistry

As the victory parade was making its way through downtown Dallas (I was in attendance), you couldn't see a face for over a mile that wasn't smiling, screaming or on the verge of tears from one of the greatest accomplishments in professional sports.

Fast forward to today, when a player has been dismissed from the team, rumors of a Dirk Nowitzki-Lamar Odom fight are lingering and the word "champion" isn't on the minds of anyone in relation to the defense of it, only when it will be lost.

To take a quote from the movie Bad Boys 2, "[These boys] need Jesus."

Not in the literal sense, but a common goal and bond of winning the title was what drove this team to even schedule that parade last June. This year has had it's ups and downs, but we hear less about the belief in the locker room, less about how these guys love each other and less about how this team can defend its title with every passing game.

Ask the Boston Celtics of 2008. Ask the Detroit Pistons of 2004. Take a look around the locker room and ask the guys that are left from 2011. Chemistry is the ultimate healer, and without it, this team will leave the court empty handed from their pursuit of a repeat.