3 teams Dallas Mavericks want to face in the 1st round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks are right in the middle of a crowded race for the final two guaranteed playoff spots in the Western Conference. The top six teams in each conference advance directly to the playoffs with teams seven through ten going through the Play-In Tournament.

Dallas is currently sixth in the West, but just three games separate fifth and 11th. The Mavs have 11 games left in the regular season, and they are trying to get healthy and hot down the stretch. Luka Doncic is dealing with a thigh injury, and Kyrie Irving just returned from a foot issue in their win over the Lakers. Dallas needs every victory, but more importantly, they must get healthy before the postseason.

The Mavericks plan on being in the playoffs. They have two of the top 20 players in the world on their roster, and no team will be eager to see them on the other end of the court, but what team do they want to face in the postseason? Here is a look at three first-round matchups that would have them salivating.

Why Dallas Mavericks want to face the Suns in the 1st round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs

Nobody on either side has forgotten the Mavs' epic destruction of the Suns in Game 7 of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals. Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie both had 30-plus points as Dallas won by 33 in Phoenix. Number 77 had 27 first-half points in that game, and so did the entire Suns' team.

This is the spiciest possible first-round matchup as well. Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton want revenge after the top-seeded Suns got knocked out in spectacular fashion. Phoenix traded for Kevin Durant at the deadline. His addition alone adds a ton of storylines, but none is bigger than facing his former teammate Kyrie Irving. Which former Net would get the last laugh in the postseason?

Dallas also wants the Suns because they have figured out ways to stop Booker, Ayton, and Paul already. Now, they just need some way to slow down KD, and the Mavericks could make quick work of the Suns.

Many NBA fans are rooting for Dallas Mavericks versus Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the playoffs, and Luka Doncic and company would invite that matchup.