Dallas Mavericks Have a Fighting Chance at a Championship

Led by the aging Dirk Nowitzki, do the Dallas Mavericks have a fighting chance at a title this year?

In 2011 Dirk Nowitzki made his case to be an all-time great, leading a team of cast-offs and veterans to the highest achievement in the NBA. Unfortunately, that was five years ago, and the hope of another ring for the Dirty German appears to be slipping away.

However, despite popular belief, the Mavs have a fighting chance this year to win another NBA title, and there are three primary reasons to prove it.

1) The cast around Nowitzki is far superior than in 2011.

The championship team starting lineup included an aging Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler; however Jason Terry played the majority of the SG minutes.

When compared to the current Mavs team,

Deron Williams

, despite being a less skilled passer, is a significantly better scorer and defender than Kidd. Williams averages nearly twice as many PPG than Kidd (14.8-7.9). He is also far younger than Kidd, capable of creating a younger more athletic backcourt.

is an equally talented shooter from beyond the arc as Terry, and is a premier wing defender in the NBA, adding a lockdown defensive presence to the roster.

Chandler Parsons is a very different style player than Marion, but adds similar value in his ability to create opportunities and score. If Parsons can fully recover from his knee injury and become the player he has the potential to be, he would provide a versatile scorer that the 2011 Mavs never had. As for the center position, Zaza Pachulia is a better rebounder and a significantly better scorer than Chandler. They have the same player efficiency rating (PER) at 18.

In addition, the Mavs reserves this year has been sensational, with players like Dwight Powell, Raymond Felton, JJ Barea, and Javale McGee adding valuable minutes off the bench. It’s safe to say the 2016 Mavs are an overall more talented than the 2011 Dallas team that won the franchise’s first championship.

2) Dirk’s play style is built for an aging player.

His greatest talents are his shooting, ability to draw fouls, and his fadeaway, indefensible due to his seven foot frame. The greatest value of these aspects of Dirk’s game is that they do not diminish with his age. If Dirk were famous for being a great dunker or defender, he wouldn’t be half the player now as in his prime.

However, as long as Nowitzki can run up and down the floor, he can shoot just as efficiently. This year Dirk is averaging only 6 fewer PPG than in 2011 and in 4 fewer MPG, and still attracts double teams regularly. Despite being 37 years old, Dirk can still carry this team to a championship if he can stay healthy.

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3) The Mavericks are one of the clutchest teams in the NBA.

So far this season the Mavericks have often found themselves in close games down the stretch, and have finished with a 6-4 record in those games. However that record doesn’t tell the whole story, as the Mavs lineup is still learning how to play together and their chemistry is growing stronger with each time they take the floor together.

Also, Dirk Nowitzki and Deron Williams have the second and third most clutch points this season accordingly, and both can take over fourth quarters with their scoring ability and veteran savvy.

The best example of their clutch dominance is the win vs the Kings 1-5-16, just about couple weeks ago. If the Mavs consistently pull together to win the tough games in the playoffs, they will be poised for another long playoff run.

Similar to the 2011 Championship Dallas squad, many experts have written off the Mavericks this year as an average, mediocre team. If you ask me, I’ll take this mediocre team’s chances any day of the week and twice on Sunday.