Mavericks Entering Make or Break Stretch Run

To say that the last 17 games of the regular season are extremely important for the Dallas Mavericks would be to state the obvious. It doesn’t make it any less true, however.

These 17 games are the ledge on which the season teeters for the Mavericks, their championship aspirations hinging not only on finishing the season strongly, but developing some much needed chemistry and cohesiveness along the way.

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Chemistry. Cohesiveness. Buzz words that are probably used too often in sports but that do hold water, nonetheless. We’ve seen “super teams” fail to capture the ultimate prize at least partially because they couldn’t make the talent work together.

The Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash come to mind. Injuries certainly played a role in that abortion, but even when the Big Three was healthy the results were poor.

This Maverick squad isn’t what one would call a “super team” but on paper they’re in the neighborhood. When healthy they have as much talent as anyone else, but until everyone is on the same page a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts is unlikely.

Dallas acquired Rajon Rondo on December 18th, long before the NBA trade deadline. While Donnie Nelson could have waited a little longer to pursue some top-tier talent, getting Rondo relatively early on provided enough time to cultivate a high level level of synergy between the four-time all-star and the rest of the team before the postseason.

Dallas didn’t pick up a low-post scorer or a shooter on the wing. They added a point guard responsible for directing the entire show. All that extra time was valuable.

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men, am I right?

Rondo himself missed a prolonged period of time with orbital and nasal fractures, Tyson Chandler has been sidelined with hip and ankle injuries, and Chandler Parsons recently missed seven games with a bum ankle. As a result, the starting unit has struggled to develop any familiarity with one another and there remains an abundance of kinks left to worked out.

Dec 20, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle gives instructions to guard Rajon Rondo (9) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Spurs 99-93. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

If the Mavericks are to make any significant type of noise this postseason it will be because of what they can accomplish in these 17 games. Parsons is back and the starting lineup is complete once again. I say complete rather than healthy because Monta Ellis is anything but healthy.

Having everyone in the lineup won’t transform Rondo into a competent outside shooter or serve as a time machine for Dirk Nowitzki, but it’ll help them figure out what works.

They have a tough schedule remaining, starting with a game against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. After that they play the Clippers, Thunder (twice), Spurs (twice), Rockets, Warriors, and Blazers before the conclusion of the regular season.

Pretty daunting. But what better way to build a foundation for a postseason run than through (more) adversity? Winning cures all ailments, and if Dallas can string together some victories against elite opponents, that success could be the catalyst for big things in May and June.

It’s a big “if”, I know. But what do we have if we don’t have hope?

Next: Game Grades for Win Over Hapless Lakers

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