Obvious reason Mavericks are emerging as nightmare matchup in Play-In Tournament

The outlook on the upcoming postseason is of course significantly different for the Dallas Mavericks than it was a few months ago. No longer is Luka Doncic around to torch defenses and strike fear into the hearts of opposing coaching staffs. It is understandable why Mavs fans are still upset about the whole situation.

But with that in mind, we should also acknowledge that Dallas can still be a spoiler in the postseason for one big reason: Anthony Davis. After losing a talent like Doncic, it can be easy to forget just how impactful AD is at his best, and what he has achieved on the playoff stage throughout his career.

Let's first remember that Davis is an NBA champion. He has been to the mountaintop of success in the NBA, and he knows what it looks like to deliver on the biggest stage in the sport. His 2020 championship with the Lakers was far from his only meaningful playoff experience, too. AD has made multiple trips to the conference finals in his career, and he has appeared in 12 playoff series total.

Anthony Davis is a monster in the postseason

When he plays in the postseason, Davis is a consistently strong performer. He holds a career average of 26.1 PPG during the playoffs for his career, and more tenured NBA fans have plenty of memories of him putting up dominating performances in April and May. Who could forget AD's spectacular showings against the dynastic Warriors back in the 2010s? In nine playoff games against Golden State, Davis scored 25 or more on eight occasions.

The Mavericks may have struggled quite a bit during the second half of this season with AD recovering from an adductor injury, but they are primed to be dangerous with Davis healthy. In a one-off, single-elimination situation like the play-in, Dallas is in perfect position to wreak havoc and spring an upset against a favored squad.

He is not the same franchise player Mavs fans have grown accustomed to watching for the last almost eight years, but there is no question Anthony Davis is a certified superstar in his own right. AD remains a nightmare to game plan for and play against. Factor in the playoff experience of Klay Thompson as well, and Dallas is likely to be an opponent that few teams will want to see with everything on the line in the coming weeks.