Mavericks: Why Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban are right about the play-in

Why Mavericks star Luka Doncic and owner Mark Cuban are wrong about the play-in

The play-in tournament is here to stay. Baseball added a similar start to their postseason in 2018. It gets people excited and tuning in at the start of the postseason. Personally, 20 of 30 teams qualifying for at least the play-in tournament is too many for my taste, but that is what the NBA decided on for this season.

Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban were wrong because this is the season where the play-in makes the most sense. The Mavericks would likely be higher in the standings if they were not hit hard by COVID-related absences but forced to play through them. They are 20-10 since Feb. 5 or when they got healthy and began clicking. Other teams have faced similar issues, so giving a potentially deserving team a shot at making the playoffs makes sense.

It will be a devastating blow for Dallas if they lose two straight and fail to qualify for the playoffs, but they can win games to avoid it. They have 19 regular-season games left to climb to sixth and take themselves out of the play-in. If they cannot, the Mavericks figure to get two chances to win one game to qualify for the playoffs.

Dallas will be focused on winning games and gearing up for the playoffs down the stretch. Hopefully, they remain healthy and keep up their recent play. No team wants to face the Mavericks in the postseason. Stay tuned because the best could be yet to come for Dallas.