Dallas Mavericks: A West Coast sweep would prove this team belongs

The Dallas Mavericks next three games are against the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers. How impressive would a sweep look for the Mavs.

The Dallas Mavericks fans of old seem to be in hiding right now. For many years prior to the Mavs rebuild, fans were very vocal about this being THE team that would win it all for Dallas. They were right one year, but that didn’t stop them from making the prediction every other year as well.

Perhaps it’s the Golden State effect, or maybe it has something to do with the not so pretty teams during the rebuilding years, but Dallas fans are way less eager to give this team credit for what they are doing. There are always excuses for the other team, but not so many for the Mavs. This is especially funny because Dallas is finally being noticed a little bit by the national media.

This is another interesting phenomenon. The Mavs fans believed firmly that they had just gotten the best player in the draft when the team selected Luka Doncic with the third overall pick. This still seems to be the case, but because he has been so good, people are still trying to tamp down their expectations.

If the next three games go well for Dallas, the fans should be ready to accept that this team is for real. I already think they are, and even if they don’t do great over the next three game stretch, I still believe this team is ready to fight for a playoff spot. The western conference playoff race is going to be a wild ride, but the Mavs are ready for it.

The West Coast showdown starts with another matchup against LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers. The game will be played in Los Angeles tonight where Dallas will try to makeup the one loss against LeBron and Co. from earlier this year. The Lakers are playing a lot better now than they were earlier in the season but so are the Mavs.

The Lakers have won 10 of their last 14 games after starting the season 2-5. Although they have lost 2 of their last 3, they are still a recognizable threat boasting the best player in the NBA. The Mavs are in the midst of a great run in which they have jumped out early to take down their opponents multiple times. That will be the strategy tonight as well.

After the Lakers game, the Mavs go back home to face the Western Conference leading LA Clippers. Dallas and the Clippers will be meeting for the first time this year and it could be a really good game. The Clippers boast a 15-6 record, the best in the West and tied for the 2nd best record in the NBA behind only the Toronto Raptors.

The Clippers have won 9 of their last 10 games, including wins over the Bucks, Warriors, Blazers and Grizzlies. Their one loss took place against the Washington Wizards. The Clippers are led in scoring by a solid group effort, with Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander all averaging double-digits this year.

The Mavs have 6 guys averaging double-digits, with Luka Doncic, Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews, Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Barea. Both of these teams can beat you with a number of different guys, making them very difficult to matchup against.

I think Dallas has a good fighting shot to take them down.

Lastly, the Mavs get the third part of the West Coast attack when the Portland Trail Blazers come to Dallas. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are back at it this year, helping the Blazers to a 13-8 record, putting them in the 5th spot in the West. Dallas will need to weather the onslaught of Damian Lillard, who is averaging over 27 points per game. If they can do that, a win is very attainable.

The Mavs have a great chance at taking at least 2 of these 3 games which would be really good for the team’s morale. It will be even better for the morale of the Mavs fans, something that has taken a strange hit this year. Either way, this is a good Mavs team that needs to get more credit than it currently is.