Dallas Mavericks: Do They Have Any Chance of Catching San Antonio Spurs?
Six games. Just six games stand between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference.
With a 118-95 victory last night against the Utah Jazz, Dallas (41-16) has managed to stay red hot in the month of February, going 14-1 in their last 15 games. With 25 remaining games left on the schedule for both rivals, is it possible for the Mavs to catch the Spurs by season's end?
For a look at Dallas' chances, here is a breakdown of the remaining schedule for both teams:
Feb. 26—March 7
The Mavericks will begin a stretch of playing five of their next six games against teams with a below .500 record, making stops on the road against Washington, Toronto and Philadelphia before finishing up at Minnesota.
San Antonio during this same stretch, will face four of six teams with a current record above the .500 mark, playing twice against Memphis and also playing the hot Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
March 9—March 20
This will be the Mavs' toughest stretch of games through the end of the regular season. Dallas will play against five of seven above-.500 teams that includes New Orleans, New York, L.A. Lakers and Portland, before heading into a crucial game against the first place Spurs on March 18.
For the Spurs, this stretch of basketball couldn't be any easier. They will face only two legitimate playoff contenders in the Heat, and of course the last regular season battle between the Mavericks, where one of their 10 losses this season have come against Dallas.
March 23—April 13
The final stretch. Beginning in late March and running through the end of the regular season, these are the games that will either make or break the Maverick's chances of catching San Antonio.
Dallas will begin by playing their first six of seven games all on the road, stopping at Utah, Phoenix, L.A. and Portland. If there was ever a streak of matchups the Mavs needed to win, it would definitely be these final road games.
As for the Spurs, they couldn't ask for a worse way to close out the season, playing their last 11 of 12 games against teams above .500, and have a realistic chance to make the postseason. Some of these games include trips to Denver, Portland, Memphis, Atlanta and the L.A. Lakers to end a very successful season.
Now the question is: Will the Mavericks in fact steal the Western Conference from the Spurs? Based on the remaining schedule, one surely must think so, as the schedule favors Dallas and their quest to upset their longtime rivals.
If Dallas does move into sole possession of first place at the end of the season, it will not only become a statement that anything is possible in the NBA, but more importantly, become a strict statement by the Mavericks themselves.
Who is to say all of the power in the NBA comes out of the Eastern Conference?
A date in the 2011 NBA Finals could legitimately rest on who ends up finishing in first place in the West. If the Mavs can continue their hot streak of late, it wouldn't surprise me if we see a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals between Dallas and Miami this June—with hopefully a different outcome.
