To illustrate just how good the Mavericks were this season, consider that only four teams in the NBA had a better record than their 52-30.
Miami in the Eastern Conference went 53-29.
Phoenix (64-18), Memphis (56-26) and Golden State (53-29) owned better records in the West.
That’s it.
Makes you wonder how players like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, players on inferior teams based on record, are frontrunners for the MVP award, yet Luka Dončić is not. But more on that in a moment.
The Mavericks put together a fabulous regular season, particular after their 16-18 start. But Jason Kidd has a way of keeping things real.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” was his simple message to the team after their 130-120 victory in the regular-season finale Sunday night.
And, of course, he’s right. This team and this season will be judged on the next weeks and, if they take care of business, months.
But for now, we offer our takeaways from Sunday’s finale and the regular season that most definitely was a success.
LUKA’S SITUATION: OK, so the Mavericks’ superstar point guard went down with a strained left calf late in the third quarter. The game plan for Kidd was to play Luka the full third quarter, then sit him in the fourth. If the third quarter had ended three minutes earlier, that would have been a great strategy. But now the Mavericks have to sweat out just how serious the calf strain is. Any strain is basically a partial tear of the muscle. To what extent is unknown. The Mavericks have one of the best medical teams in the NBA. If treatment can get Dončić back in time for Game 1, you can bet that they’ll have him undergoing therapy 24/7. And if it’s a less-than-optimal scenario and Luka has to miss some time, then the Mavericks will have to figure out a way to keep the ship floating until they can get him back. It’s been done before. But it’s not something anybody wants to see.
ROLLING AT AAC: The Mavericks finished the season by winning their last six games at American Airlines Center. And they know if they can continue to protect their home floor, they’ll be playing in the second round of the playoffs. They own the home-court advantage in the first round against Utah. But it’s dangerous trying to predict just how important that is. The Jazz know they’ll have to win at least once in Dallas. Probably twice, if this series goes like a lot of them do. The Mavericks are very capable of winning a game in Utah. But as we’ve seen in the past, they can lose home games in the postseason, too. But that was then. This is now.
SUPPORTING LUKA: If you noticed, the player who rushed to the far end of the court to help Dončić as he limped to the locker room was Dwight Powell. Talk about a guy who knows where his bread is buttered. Powell has been awesome in the final few weeks of the season, largely because of his connection with Dončić on the pick-and-roll. Powell made 18 shots in a row before he missed a lob-dunk on Sunday. He’s been the perfect roll-to-the-rim guy for Luka. He hit 23 of his last 26 shots this season and the Mavericks finished 4-0 in those final four games. Powell averaged 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in those games. He’ll be relied on to play a significant role against Rudy Gobert and the Jazz.
HIS MOMENT IN THE SUN: Theo Pinson is on a two-way contract and as such, he won’t be on the active roster in the playoffs. So Game 82 was his last chance to leave an impression. He certainly took advantage. He had 16 points in 13 minutes, helping the Mavericks hold onto the victory. That doesn’t mean Pinson won’t be a valuable asset in the playoffs. He will travel and will be able to support his teammates at games, something that he has done with great success this season.
Twitter: @ESefko
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