NBA star completely forgets about the Mavericks with disrespectful take

The Dallas Mavericks are the current king of the West after wresting the 2024 Oscar Robertson Trophy. It was quite a whirlwind of a season for the squad, fighting for a top spot in the conference during the first several weeks before staying in the middle of the pack for the rest of the year.

Dallas ended up with the No. 5 seed, thanks in large part to a series of moves at the trade deadline that panned out perfectly for the franchise.

The Mavs then defeated higher-seeded opponents, namely the LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves, to set up a date with the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Finals. They may have lost to the Celtics, but there are many reasons they will be back in the championship stage next year.

Donovan Mitchell doubts the Mavericks' chances of winning the West

However, some people don't believe Dallas has what it takes to finish atop the Western Conference mountain again. Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is one of them.

In a recent appearance on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast (at 24:10), the five-time All-Star named the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder as the possible opponents his squad would meet in the 2025 Finals.

Incidentally, the Mavs defeated both of them convincingly in the 2024 playoffs.

According to Mitchell, the Wolves are "dawgs" and have "figured it out." Interestingly, he mistakenly thought Minnesota was a win away from the Finals and forgot who eliminated it in the conference finals.

Perhaps he ought to be reminded that the Mavs found a way to limit Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. On the other hand, Luka Doncic proved unstoppable, averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game against a supposedly daunting Wolves defense. He even found a way to savagely flame Rudy Gobert with a tough game-winner in Game 2.

"Spida" then brought up the Thunder. The young team definitely has a bright future ahead of it, but it has yet to stumble onto a solution to beat the Mavs when the stakes are high.

He believes the acquisition of Alex Caruso would heavily benefit OKC, especially in the defense and toughness departments. While that may be true, Dallas will have several weapons in a possible rematch against the Thunder.

In addition to Doncic and Kyrie Irving, P.J. Washington shone as the team's third star and had the Thunder's number in the 2024 Western Conference semifinals. Oklahoma City will also have to deal with new Mav Klay Thompson.

There's no doubt that the Wolves and Thunder are formidable contenders. However, people shouldn't forget that Dallas still owns the West.