Dallas Mavericks: Where Will the Mavs End in the Playoff Race?

The Dallas Mavericks are a playoff team year after year but lately they have been one of the worst good teams in the league. Will that continue this year, will they find the missing link, or are they doomed for failure?

The Dallas Mavericks are preparing for another long season in which the team will be tried and tested every night with the end goal of a playoff spot dangling in the distance. In the Western Conference especially, that playoff spot becomes even harder to obtain.

The Mavs are looking for a chance to put Dirk Nowitzki back in the playoffs for another year but, even if they do make the postseason, where will the team be sitting?

Our staff here at The Smoking Cuban discusses the team’s playoff hopes where the general consensus is that a home court advantage is all but out of the question for Dallas. Here is what everyone has to say about it.

Marvin Jerome Hanke: 7^th Seed

“I think getting home court is all but impossible. To me, the Warriors, Clippers, Spurs and Jazz have the four top spots locked up. Beyond that, Portland, Memphis, Houston, Dallas, Oklahoma and perhaps New Orleans and the Timberwolves project to fight for the last four spots. If the Mavs reach the seventh seed to avoid Golden State, I’d be happy.”

-Hanke

Evan Siegel: 7^th or 8^th Seed

“The Mavs will once again be a seventh or eighth seed, given their lack of offense and the intense competition in the West. We can’t forget about the improvements the T-Wolves and Jazz made, while remembering OKC is still a dangerous team.”

-Siegel

Eron Ramadanov: 7^th Seed

“I hate these types of questions. This question depends so much on health. If the Mavericks can stay healthy for most of the season, I don’t see any reason why Dallas can’t finish 5th in the Western Conference. But, the Mavericks do have a lot of health question marks, which could result in Dallas finishing without a playoff berth. So, if I had to make a final pick on where the Mavericks will end up in the playoff race, I’d say the 7th seed would be a safe bet.”

-Ramadanov

Sam Casey: 7^th Seed

“I think the Mavs have a realistic shot at securing the 7th playoff spot. In the unbelievably tough Western Conference, that’s about as optimistic as I can be, barring any big injuries. I think the West will stack up similarly to last year except you can switch OKC with MEM and Utah. Memphis and Utah will be above Dallas while I think Houston and OKC will battle for the last spot.”

-Casey

Isaac Harris: 6^th Seed

“So we know the Warriors, Spurs and Clips will be the top seeds in the West, after that, it gets interesting. I think Portland did ok this summer, but I think other teams did better in improving their team. I would put Memphis and Utah in that next tier in the 4^th and 5^th spots. Then I put Dallas, Portland, and OKC (if they keep Westbrook) in the next category. So I will stay positive and say Dallas will finish 6^th in the West.”

-Harris

Kohl Rast: 6^th Seed

“There are too many good teams in the Western Conference still. After all these years of uneven division play, you would think that the Eastern Conference would have started to bring some strength back to their half, but it still seems to be a 10-team battle for postseason play in the West and a 4-team battle in the East.

With that being said, it is hard to pick the Mavs to be stellar this season even with an optimistic outlook. The Warriors, Spurs, and Clippers are locked into playoff spots immediately. Memphis, Portland, and Utah seem to be the next tier of teams with Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City, and possibly Minnesota fighting for a playoff berth at the bottom.

6^th is incredibly optimistic in itself for Dallas right now but I really think that we will put together a young, healthy squad that people are going to have trouble with. That paired with an amazing medical staff and we are ready to be the first team to benefit from an injury to another team. My bet is on Utah, sadly.”

-Rast

Next: Determining the Best Mavs Team in History

Whether or not you believe the Mavs have what it takes to dethrone one of the top Western Conference teams, it is still not hard to believe Dallas will be back in the playoff race for another year. Dirk Nowitzki definitely deserves a chance to return to the playoffs for another year and, with the moves that Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson and the rest of the organization made, it looks like a likely outcome.