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Dallas Mavericks: 5 most anticipated matchups of the 2021-2022 regular season
By Tyler Watts
Dallas Mavericks most anticipated matchup of 2021-2022 season: 2. Suns
The Suns had the number one overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and selected Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic. Ayton has the look of a future star, but Doncic is going to be the top player from that class. Phoenix passing on him is one of the massive storylines of this contest.
The Mavericks added another one this offseason when they fired former Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov as an assistant. He was fired after just one season in Phoenix. The Suns won just 19 games but were a rebuilding team. Kokoskov coach the Slovenian National Team to the championship at EuroBasket 2017. He has a close relationship with Luka Doncic and would like nothing more than to beat his former team.
The Suns swept the Mavericks last season as they made a run to the NBA Finals. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and company lost to Milwaukee Bucks, but they were so close to hoisting the championship. Phoenix should be ready and motivated this season making for some entertaining matchups against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Suns have defeated Dallas six straight times, and the Mavs have just one win over Phoenix in the last two years. That could add another layer of heat to the already spicy matchup.