Dallas Could Miss The Playoffs
While watching Dallas fall to Houston last night I was struck with the following thought – what if Dallas fails to make the playoffs this season?
The acquisition of Jason Kidd was viewed by many as the final piece to solidifying Dallas’ status as one of the elite teams in the NBA, yet things aren’t falling place and it’s possible they could fail to make the playoffs.
Since the Mavericks acquired Kidd they have gone a pathetic 4-5 while losing precious ground in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
Heck, Dallas has the worst record of all three teams based out of Texas. Thanks to a 17-game win streak Houston has now surged ahead of them in the standings and has a chance to secure home court advantage in the playoffs while San Antonio has the top record in the conference.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Are things in such dire straights in Dallas that they will miss the playoffs? It’s doubtful.
Is it possible? Yes, at this point anyone in the West could miss the playoffs and as a seventh seed Mavericks fans should be worried about their team.
Take a quick look at the standings and you’ll see Dallas has sunk to seventh in Western Conference with Golden State one game behind and Denver, the ninth seed, only two games behind. Part of this recent three-game losing streak can easily be attributed to the team suffering through some growing pains as they adjust to playing with Kidd, but with such a small gap between top dog in the west and failing to make the playoffs, Dallas has to be careful they don’t find themselves sitting at home when the playoffs commence in a month.
Last season Dallas had the best record in the NBA yet this season they appear to be fighting for a spot in the playoffs. After being bounced in the first round of the playoffs last spring the Mavericks are poised to be the laughing stock of the NBA for the second straight season if they fail to make the playoffs this season after mortgaging their future to acquire Kidd.
How amazing would it be if Dallas went from top record in the league last season and then after adding Kidd missed the playoffs?
I’m not going to lie, if this went down I would be sporting a grin from ear-to-ear.
Jason Kidd Photo Credit: Icon SMI
5 Comments on “Dallas Could Miss The Playoffs”.
Have Your Say:
You could have written this same article, and replace Dallas with Phoenix, because I think that is much more likely.
March 7, 2008 » 8:42 AM »
The same can happen to the Suns after the Shaq trade. I really feel for Nash and Dirk (dirty play last time out not withstanding): two nice guys who really deserve championship rings! Especially sad for Nash at 34, as his window of opportunity is rapidly closing on him.
March 7, 2008 » 9:02 AM »
Naw, there’s no way Captain Canuck will allow PHX to miss the playoffs. What gritty vet does Dallas have that’s a proven winner? The closest they have is Kidd who played in the NBA Finals for NJ. Nash will take the team on his shoulders, yet again, and lead them into the playoffs. Once the playoffs begin I’m not making any predictions on the West as it will be a slug fest and any team could survive and advance to the Finals.
I’m sticking with Dallas because the stench from last year’s flameout against Golden State is still attached to Dallas and I wouldn’t be surprised if Denver goes on a rally and “steal” the final playoff spot in the west.
Also, in regards to PHX, Nash and Amare are playing at a high level which will help the team at least make the playoffs. I can’t help but think once the players and coaching staff adapt to Shaq they will be better off than with Marion.
March 7, 2008 » 9:10 AM »
Dallas and Phoenix will both make the WC playoffs … along with San Antonio, the Lakers, Utah, New Orleans, Houston and one of either Denver or Golden State.
But … even with their full teams … neither Dallas nor Phoenix will be able to get past the Spurs or the Lakers this year.
i) Dallas has regressed in a big way without Devin Harris
(instead of dealing Harris, the Mavs needed to shake up their under-achieving roster by getting rid of some combination of Eddie Jones, Devean George, Trenton Hassell, JJ Barea and Juwan Howard)
and
ii) so has Phoenix with Shaq and without Marion.
March 7, 2008 » 11:11 AM »
Here’s something I didn’t think of, perhaps because I grew up being a Utah Jazz fan, but what if Denver jumps ahead of Utah in the standings? Could Utah find themselves in the outside looking in? The thought makes me shudder but I have to admit it’s possible.
Wow, I can’t wait to see how the next 20 games unfold. I may even need to stay up past midnight watching some of these games.
March 7, 2008 » 8:45 PM »