Dallas Mavericks: Previewing the Opener in Indy

The NBA season is finally here, and the Dallas Mavericks open Game 1 with a tough test in Indiana. It should be a great match up on many different levels, and it will be a great view of how the Mavs will look against good competition all season.

Game 1 is different for every team. Some struggle, and some come out fired up. Sometimes, game 1 of the season doesn’t mark how your season will go. But, it will certainly be interesting to see how the Mavs fare against a good Pacers team.

MVP candidate, Paul George, will look to get off to a good start in Game 1 for the Pacers. Harrison Barnes will be guarding him in his Mavericks debut and should provide a great match up to see how Barnes will play defense for this team.

Deron Williams will go up against new Pacer Jeff Teague in the starting lineup. Williams seems to be fully healthy, and hopes to take advantage of a Jeff Teague that is playing his first game on his new team. This opinion may not be popular, but it seems Deron Williams should have the edge here.

Wesley Matthews takes on former Maverick Monta Ellis at the shooting guard position. Ellis is a great all around scorer, but Matthews fares well against him of the defensive side of the ball. Mavs faithful pray Wesley can get his shot going, as he struggled last season coming off his injury.

Dirk Nowitzki gets a match up with another new Pacer in Thaddeus Young in game 1 for the German legend. The Pacers seem to have a lot of promising new pieces, but the Mavericks veterans should be able to take advantage of them in their first game with their new team.

New Maverick Andrew Bogut faces a rising star in game 1. Myles Turner looked amazing when given the chance last season as a rookie. He looks to continue that Tuesday night. Bogut has the rebounding advantage, but it remains to be seen if he can contain Myles Turner on the defensive end.

Depth is another spot where it’s hard to tell which team seems to be winning. The Pacers provide the likes of Rodney Stuckey, C.J. Miles, and Al Jefferson as their sparks off the bench. Dallas will bring on J.J. Barea, Seth Curry, Justin Anderson, and Dwight Powell.

Both benches look a little weak to the casual NBA fan, but both definitely have their sparks. To me, Dallas just has a small edge here. It remains to be seen how much impact the bench does end up having on this game.

With the game being in Indiana, ESPN has the Pacers as 6.5 point favorites. I highly disagree, and think the Mavericks pull off the upset in a nail biter. The Mavericks are always underrated, so a 7 point underdog in game 1 is no surprise.

For the final score, I will predict 107-103 Dallas. I think the new guys for Indiana will have trouble fitting in at first. I know Dallas has new guys too, but I think Bogut fits in immediately. Barnes is a little more of a question mark, but I don’t see Dallas needing him as much as some think.

Next: What do the Mavs do with Simba?

All in all, it’s just good to see NBA games being played that actually count. The season is finally here, and we’re ready to get rolling. Go Mavs!