What Are The Dallas Mavericks Playoff Hopes?

The Dallas Mavericks are in must-win mode at this point of the season. Can they make it happen or will their recent struggles be too difficult to overcome?

With the regular season on the downhill stretch and each game becoming more important than the last, the Dallas Mavericks have found themselves in a difficult spot. Currently, Dallas is sitting as the 7th seed in the Western Conference with only two games separating them from an early end to the season. Another loss against a very good Oklahoma City team last night and only 24 games remaining in the season has many people continuing to wonder what the Mavs chances are of falling out of the playoffs.

The Mavericks have lost 6 of the last 8 and continue to show signs of combustion in the team, despite each game seemingly coming down to the last buzzer. Frustration and desperation are each mounting within the organization and Dallas is in a must-win situation almost every game. With the top 4 teams essentially locked into their respective spots in the playoff race and the bottom 5 teams very likely near elimination at this point, there are essentially 6 teams fighting for the final 4 playoff spots.

In essence, Dallas needs to beat out two of the following teams to make the playoffs: The Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, and Sacramento Kings. So the question is, can we beat out two of these teams?

I personally believe that Dallas will be able to find a spot in the playoffs this year, despite their recent struggles.

The Sacramento Kings seem to be the least likely to threaten for a playoff spot in the group and have so many off the court issues to deal with that a comeback into the playoff picture seems pretty unlikely. That leaves really only one team of the final 5 being left out.

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Portland and Utah both appear to be really hitting their stride right now and are each dangerous teams to make the playoffs. The Trail Blazers have won 9 of their last 10 including 6 in a row, while the Jazz have won 7 of their last 10. Both teams do not seem to be showing many signs of slowing down either with the youth that makes up the core of the teams.

If both the Jazz and Blazers continue to play the way they currently are, that leaves Dallas to fight with two other teams for the final two spots. These two teams happen to also either be tanking or are in danger of starting to tank any day. This leaves either Houston or Memphis as the most likely chance to keep Dallas in the playoff picture.

Memphis continues to find ways to win games on a regular basis, even without their star player Marc Gasol. Changes to the team personnel and an aging lineup both could wreak havoc on Memphis at any point and, with only 5 games separating them and a lottery pick, the Grizzlies could be a likely candidate to fall out of the playoff picture.

The other team in danger right now is the current 9-seed Houston Rockets. Houston has an abundance of talent on their roster including two highly recognized superstars to lead the team. Despite the star-power however, the Rockets have been the center for rumors galore this season, with major discontent coming between James Harden and Dwight Howard, getting so bad that Houston actively shopped one of their best players throughout the entire trading period before the deadline.

Aside from the off court issues, Houston has also lost 7 of their last 10 games, putting them below .500 for the season at this point. Harden has been unable to carry the team all by himself and, if the Rockets do not figure it out soon, they are already on the outside looking in.

Dallas faces a tough situation with wins becoming a necessity all the time, young teams hitting their stride, and veteran teams like themselves losing and injury prone, but not out of it. The Mavericks have seen some bright spots in Chandler Parsons and, very recently, Wesley Matthews, but overall have been struggling mightily. Despite the struggles, the Mavericks are far from out of the race.

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Even though things may not look great for the Mavericks today, don’t give up on them just yet. A few favorable games against the Nuggets (twice), Timberwolves, Kings and Magic over the next few weeks will give Dallas a chance to regroup, find their stride, and make their move towards a higher seed. With our first round pick for next year almost undoubtedly gone at this point, Dallas is a playoff or bust team and I do not believe we will be seeing any sort of bust.