NBA playoffs fans are not used to seeing the Dallas Mavericks in this position. With less than a month left in the regular season the recent pro basketball playoffs finalists are in real danger of missing the playoffs. Just two years removed from nearly winning the entire NBA playoffs the team is currently in a tailspin and NBA playoff odds makers are not that enthusiastic about the team’s post season chances.
NBA playoffs consists of such a wide open format that most years any decent team can get in. In the Eastern Conference this is still certainly true. But in the West, it has been decades -if ever- since we’ve seen such a fierce battle for the pro basketball playoffs spots and this year there will be several top teams that will not be featured in the NBA playoffs odds.
The Dallas Mavericks will likely be one such team that will miss out on the pro basketball playoffs due to the renaissance of the Western Conference. With a number of big time player moves in the months leading up the NBA playoffs the West all of sudden became fiercely competitive. When the player movement began, the Mavs were sitting atop the conference and looked as if they might be the pro basketball playoffs odds makers’ favorite as the one seed heading into the NBA playoffs.
But two major events occurred: the team re-acquired aging superstar Jason Kidd and reigning MVP Dirk Nowitski went down with a severely sprained ankle all but dashing the Mavs’ NBA playoffs hopes. Surprisingly Kidd has failed to gel with his new teammates and generally considered one of the top point guards in the league certainly has played like it this far and the result has been a major blow to team’s chances in the pro basketball playoffs odds.
And of course the loss of a player like Dirk all but finished off the team’s NBA playoff’s drive. Team officials have no idea when the German may be back but it’s not likely before the pro basketball playoffs begin. With teams like the Golden State Warriors and Denver Nuggets surging, the NBA playoffs window of opportunity for the Mavs gets smaller every day.