The February Doldrums.
For the fifth year in a row (or so) the Dallas Mavericks look like a playoff seed without much bite. You could argue that pretty much every other playoff team besides the Mavs has some reason to hope for a miracle -- the Thunder, Clippers, Rockets and Grizzlies all at least have the same guys who made them seem like potential title contenders in the days before the Warriors turned into a mushroom cloud of terrifying basketball.
The Mavs don’t really have that.
On the other hand, being the sixth seed, and four games over .500 in the Western Conference, isn’t nothing. It’s so very much not nothing, and a lot of people are going to realize that when it’s over. And given Rick Carlisle and given the veteran talent they have, if they keep the ship steady they should again be a tough out.
But it’s a little joyless. Occasionally they drop a winnable game by a lot, like they did against the Hawks the other night. More often, they barely beat a bad team or barely lose to a good team. I don’t know for sure how many Mavericks games this season were decided before the last three minutes, but I want to say zero. It’s not zero, but it sure feels like zero. This isn’t a column about math, people.
The point is, this seems like another season with a low playoff seed and an early exit for an aging team, which of course defies what aging teams are supposed to be about, which is declining in some way. But the unfortunate thing is, it certainly feels like you can basically hit fast forward til that surprisingly competitive first-round series without really missing anything.
But if you did….think of all you’d miss.
For the first time in five years, this team is at least a little bit about the future. Chandler Parsons and Wes Matthews can be part of a future core. Deron Williams, although injury prone, is only 31 years old. He may be a league average PG, more or less, these days, but the way he gets his buckets is really valuable for this team. As, a lot of days, is the “when.”
I’m excited about post-All-Star break Matthews, playing with a resurgent Parsons. Matthews, who has basically laid to rest concerns about his injuries, nevertheless needs All-Star Break-related rest, like I need buffalo chicken sandwiches. Which is A LOT. We haven’t seen good Parsons play with good Matthews, and I can’t wait.
I’m excited to see if Salah Mejri can get into that rotation, as Dwight Powell inevitably falls out of it. I’m excited to see what other things Carlisle might try to move this team up another level. And maybe we’ll even see more Justin Anderson. The minutes have been spotty, but he’s averaging around 10 in the last five games and performing perfectly well. It’d be nice to get more of a sense of him before next season.
Sometimes when you’re watching a rerun, you keep it interesting by noticing something new. For the Mavericks, there are some good opportunities in that direction. We’ll be bringing them to your attention all season. Stay tuned.
