Mapping the easiest and toughest paths to NBA title for Dallas Mavericks

With the 2024 NBA Playoffs being just a couple of weeks away, it's time to dive into what the Dallas Mavericks have done this season to get to this point and what their chances are looking like in the first round against the LA Clippers.

The Clippers are a team that many fans wanted Dallas to play because they want to see Luka Doncic and company get revenge on LA for their two playoff series losses in 2020 and 2021, and this year may be the perfect chance for the Mavs to take down their longtime rivals.

Doncic and Irving are playing like one of the best duos in the NBA, and their togetherness on and off the floor this season has been outstanding.

Mavericks Playoffs: Mapping the easiest and toughest paths to NBA title

Outside of Doncic and Irving, Dallas' role players have also stepped up. Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington were crucial for Dallas on both ends of the floor this season, and their defense on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could make or break the Mavs' chances of taking down LA.

Slowing down Russell Westbrook in this series will also be vital to the Mavs' success, as he will be looking to push the pace for LA, play hard-nosed defense, and get the crowd involved. Westbrook has plenty of playoff experience, and he always seems to take his play to the next level against Dallas.

Another thing to keep an eye on in this series is injuries. There is tons of uncertainty regarding injuries to key players on both teams (Kawhi Leonard and Dereck Lively II) and either one of them missing time could prove to be costly.

Dallas' first game against LA is on Sunday on the road, and it's bound to be an intense series. Here we dive into the easiest path, the toughest path, and the most likely path for the Mavs to win the 2024 NBA Finals.

We'll begin with the toughest path.

Toughest path for the Dallas Mavericks to win 2024 NBA Finals

There is no "easy" path to win the NBA Finals in this league as winning four straight series is no easy task, but there are clearly easier and tougher paths when discussing matchups and different opportunities for the Dallas Mavericks.

The toughest path for the Mavs to win the 2024 NBA Finals would begin with a seven-game series win against the LA Clippers. The Clippers aren't an easy matchup by any means, and a seven-game series would just mean less rest heading into the next series.

The next series when talking about the toughest path to the NBA Finals would be against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and this series would be another series in which the Mavs would have to win on the road as the lower seed.

Dallas has experience in taking down No. 1 seeds, as they took down the Phoenix Suns in 2022, and the Thunder wouldn't be as much of a cakewalk as many Mavs fans would like to believe.

After defeating the Thunder, the Mavs would then be battling the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets would be an extremely tough matchup for Dallas, and they would have to grind out every win, once again, on the road as the lower seed.

With a win over the Nuggets, the Mavs' toughest matchup in the Eastern Conference is undoubtedly the Boston Celtics. The Celtics won 64 games this season, and they are stacked from top to bottom. Dallas got destroyed by Boston last time they played, and Boston's floor-stretching bigs exposed the Mavs.

The above path for the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals is undoubtedly the toughest, and every series would be an uphill battle.

Easiest path for the Dallas Mavericks to win 2024 NBA Finals

The easiest path to an NBA Finals win for the Dallas Mavericks would begin with a quick series against the LA Clippers. An even easier series for the Clippers would include Kawhi Leonard missing time with his knee injury and Dereck Lively II being ready to roll for the start of the series.

There is tons of uncertainty when it comes to both of their injuries, and the Mavs would be at a huge advantage if Leonard misses time.

Following a series win over the Clippers, the easiest matchup in the second round would be avoiding the Oklahoma City Thunder and playing the Sacramento Kings (if they grab the eighth seed and somehow upset the Thunder). The Mavs match up well with the Kings, and we saw that with the back-to-back wins on the road at the end of this season.

After that, the Mavs would face the winner of the Nuggets series with whoever they play in the second round (assuming they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round). Denver would play the winner of the Suns-Timberwolves series, and the easier matchup of these two would be the Suns.

Phoenix was stacking wins at the end of the regular season, but their depth isn't great. They rely heavily on their star trio of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, and the Mavs reserves would run their bench off the floor.

After defeating the Suns in the Western Conference Finals, the Mavs would play the winner of the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. While playing one of the Eastern Conference's Play-In teams would be the easiest path for Dallas, that seems unrealistic at this point.

The clear answer for the Eastern Conference favorite is the Boston Celtics, but the Mavs match up must better with the New York Knicks or Milwaukee Bucks. Neither matchup would be easy, but both of those series would be much more winnable than a series against Boston.

Most likely path for the Dallas Mavericks to win 2024 NBA Finals

The most likely path for the Dallas Mavericks to win the 2024 NBA Finals would start with a tough series win against the LA Clippers. The Clippers aren't an easy matchup by any means, but the most likely outcome if the Mavericks are going to win seems like it being in five or six games.

After a series win against LA, the Mavs would then likely play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. The Mavs match up well with the Thunder, but winning a series on the road against the No. 1 seed isn't an easy task. If Dallas were to take down the Thunder, it seems like it would definitely go to six or seven games.

After a series win against OKC, Dallas' most likely Western Conference Finals opponent would be the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are the toughest matchup of any team in the Western Conference for Dallas, and this series would probably go seven games if the Mavs were to take down the 2023 NBA Champions.

After Denver, the Mavs would face the winner of the Eastern Conference, and the Boston Celtics are the heavy favorites. The Celtics are stacked from top to bottom, and this would likely be another seven-game series if the Mavs were to beat them.

The most likely path for the Mavs to win the 2024 NBA Finals wouldn't be an easy one, but anything can happen once the postseason begins.

Prediction for the Dallas Mavericks' first-round series against the LA Clippers

The Dallas Mavericks' first-round series against the LA Clippers is going to be an uphill battle, but the Mavs have the roster and momentum to take down the Clippers.

The Mavs won 16 of their final 20 games heading into the playoffs with two of those losses coming against the Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder when the Mavs were resting most of their role players. Dallas is one of the hottest teams in the NBA heading into the playoffs, and this will matter in the Clippers series.

Slowing down Kawhi Leonard is something the Mavs have struggled with in the past, but doing this will be crucial to a series win. Leonard is someone who seemingly always excels in the playoffs, and the Mavs know this as well as anyone.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving should be able to take over this series, and P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. are two pieces they can throw at Leonard and Paul George to slow them down.

Slowing down Russell Westbrook could also be a crucial part of this series, but the Mavs have plenty of players they can use against him.

With the Clippers' defense not being great and Dallas' momentum heading into the playoffs, I predict the Mavs will beat the Clippers in six games. The Mavs are serious contenders, and the Clippers will have to be at their absolute best if they want to take down the red-hot Mavs.

For all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.