NBA Playoff Watch: New Arrivals Spark Mavs, Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks found some essential human capital in Washington at the trade deadline, tuning up their squads as they attempt to accelerate toward a franchise-first NBA championship.

In an effort to beat the Orlando Magic, the Cavs went to the Washington Wizards to acquire All-Star forward Antawn Jamison and Los Angeles Clippers guard Sebastian Telfair in exchange for center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a first-round pick in June, and the rights to Emir Preldzic.  

Not far from the White House, the Mavs found and obtained the best Butler in the NBA, Washington All-Star forward Caron Butler, in a trade that also welcomed Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton, and Quinton Ross.

Neither team had to trick the Wizards, who are looking to rebuild after two tumultuous years that included several injuries, plenty of losses, and a debacle involving two teammates, gambling, and handguns.

Dallas is on a nine-game winning streak and has served notice to NBA playoff contenders, defeating the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Atlanta Hawks.

The Cavs have settled down since their blockbuster trade, winning their last five games after losing their first three with Jamison following the All-Star break.

The Cavs won 13 in a row before the All-Star break and have celebrated since the holiday season arrived winning 33 of their last 40 games.

Successful Trade Brings Swift Results

The Mavericks already led their division and featured three All-Stars—point guard Jason Kidd, forward Shawn Marion, and power forward Dirk Nowitzki—before making the trade.

Yet, Dallas had lost six of its last eight games prior to the trade and the team was in danger of falling behind in a tight playoff race in the highly-competitive Western Conference.

Instead, the move has paid instantaneous dividends and Butler, Haywood, and Stevenson have brought a defensive mindset to the offensive-minded Mavericks.

The Mavs allowed 100-plus points in the eight games preceding the trade. After the trade, the Mavs survived six games before allowing 100 points and although the defense has been slack of late (Dallas has allowed 100-plus points in three of its last four games), the Mavs are still winning.

Kidd has been amazing, turning in an insane line of 19 points, 17 assists, and 16 rebounds in a wild 111-103 overtime win against the Hawks on Friday. The wily veteran made a heads-up play in the fourth quarter when he caught Hawks head coach Mike Woodson on the court during play, drawing a technical foul to help push the game into an extra period.

Butler has brought his typical solid play to Dallas, averaging 16.1 points a game since the trade and Stevenson continues to battle for playing time as he did with the Wizards.

Haywood may have been the steal of the deal, though, and he’s quietly having the best season of his nine-year career. He’s averaged 10.5 ppg and 9.7 rpg since the trade—his career-high is 7.2 rpg.

The playoffs have not been kind to Dallas as the Mavericks lost four straight games to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals and suffered a stunning upset against the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in the first round in 2007.

Beating the best in the West won’t be easy, but a savvy trade has made beating the Mavs a more difficult task.

Cavs Switch It Up

In the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline move that brought Jamison to Cleveland, the Cavs had their worst stretch of the year, losing three consecutive games for the first time this season.

After the Cavs managed to get back to their winning ways with a victory against the New Orleans Hornets, center Shaquille O’Neal injured his right thumb against the Boston Celtics and Cleveland learned its biggest acquisition in its hunt for a title will be out for two months.

The four-time NBA champion has played admirably this season and he elevated his performance once Ilgauskas was traded. He’ll be 38 on Saturday but he was still able to score 20 points and grab seven rebounds against the Hornets and notched 20 points and five rebounds versus the Magic in the two games prior to his injury.

However, the Cavs may have found an exciting style in the absence of O’Neal and Ilgauskas, 34.

Center Anderson Varejao and power forward J.J. Hickson bring youthful exuberance in contrast to the strength and savvy that the experienced seven-footers display.

Jamison, a power forward who likes to roam the perimeter like the Magic's Rashard Lewis, has been shooting from all over the floor as he continues to adjust to the best team in the NBA.

His numbers are down from earlier this season with the Wizards, but his 15.1 ppg and 7.9 rpg with the Cavs isn't a disappointment for a team that needed a versatile scorer.

Cleveland has been running more and Cavs superstar LeBron James could find more opportunities on the fast break and in the lane than he’d have with Big Z and Shaq holding court down low.

James has exhibited an uncanny passing ability—particularly on the run—with faster post players on the court. He’s averaging 8.5 assists per game this season, but since the trade he’s averaged 10.3 apg.

But the Cavs know the action slows down in the playoffs and most of the elite teams like the Lakers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Orlando Magic have big lineups featuring rugged inside players.

Cleveland will look to re-sign Ilgauskas later this month and enjoy a speedy recovery for O’Neal as the Cavs need to be at full strength in the post if they want to win the championship.