If you’re an NBA team preparing for the postseason, you should be performing at your peak level of play before the competition. The Dallas Mavericks are undoubtedly succeeding in that regard, having won 14 of their previous 16 games and fielded the best defense in the NBA in that time.
The Mavs, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, have been extremely hot. Former star Eddie Johnson even went so far as to call them “the most dangerous team” in the playoffs during a Monday SiriusXM NBA Radio session.
“Look, as of right now—and this is beyond Denver—I think [Dallas] is the most dangerous team any playoff-bound team will face,” Johnson remarked. They pose the greatest threat.
Denver currently has an advantage in terms of execution, but what’s the catch? At least you can comprehend that and carry out the attack. It is visible to you. The difficult part now is putting a stop to it, but you can see it coming and know what to do. You have no idea what to do with Dallas. That’s the issue. You’re clueless. You’re not even aware that Kyrie has the ability to turn left and then fire a hook when he drives right. You’re not prepared for it, really. You simply pray he gets missed.
“Luka is different from Jokic in that he has an unconventional style of shooting and an amazing ability to see things off the dribble in traffic,” Johnson went on. “Jokic’s demise is practically at a stop. It feels similar to being fixed to specific spots on the ground. I’ll tear you apart, dare you double, dare you even try. It’s like, “I’m going to do all these turns and twists to get to the rim,” when dealing with Luka. Try me, I dare you. I can still make out the floor. You just can’t sit there and design a strategy against anything like that. That is the frightening aspect of them.
The Mavs didn’t have enough defensive players before the trade deadline to be regarded as serious title contenders, but Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have changed that. Not only have those two players contributed well and grown more at ease with each game that goes by, but their presence has also helped other players on the team find better roles.
The Mavs didn’t have enough defensive players before the trade deadline to be regarded as serious title contenders, but Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have changed that. Not only have those two players contributed well and grown more at ease with each game that goes by, but their presence has also helped other players on the team find better roles.
