Why do the Dallas Mavericks never get the respect they deserve?

Dallas Mavericks are disrespected because of their surprise conference finals run

The Mavs got off to a slow start last season, and they sat at 17-18 as the calendar flipped to 2022. Luka Doncic admittedly took much time off last summer, and it took the team time to find their footing in first-year head coach Jason Kidd’s system. Dallas had the second-best record to close the regular season, but they were still being overlooked.

Doncic suffered a calf injury in the final game of the regular season, which made their first-round series against the Utah Jazz look like a tossup. The Mavericks won in six games on the back of their defense as Luka missed just three contests. Going into round two, everybody picked the Suns. Nobody had Dallas reaching the conference finals, but they did.

Most experts did not view the Mavs as one of the four best teams in the league last season, despite their strong close, so it is easy to dismiss them now. Nobody is using words like lucky and fluke, but the disrespect for the Mavericks is making it seem like they feel that way.

Every team in the league wants at least one thing Dallas has, and Doncic just prove how special he is, especially in the postseason.