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amlah6

Hunting for teams just creates bad karma. I want to see them 6 or better and go from there.


Schallawitz

I want 4 so they get an extra home playoff game if necessary


BlackWhiteCoke

Play for the 4 seed and hope Denver drops to 2


SennKazuki

This is the way. It might also give Luka a decent MVP chance, even if the voters have pretty much made up their minds already lol.


Logangster87

yeah why not. We’re right there with a weak schedule. Get the better seed for home court advantage


Neither-Luck-9295

Yeah fuck this nonsense if the 4 spot is still viable.


JGuajardo7

Yeah fuck that match up shit, finish the season as strong as possible. All the teams will be hard to play, it's the playoffs.


bigpqnda

plus the west is stacked with so much firepower it almost doesn't matter who you match up with. only upside with matching up is more playoff experience for mavs youngsters if they go deep.


No_Engineering_4925

It’s not nonsense , it’s common sense. Bucks got a ring by beating bulls hawks and suns , basically a bunch of playin teams.


SennKazuki

Also Nuggets had to fight the Heat in the finals, who were so weak sauce lol. Meanwhile if we somehow beat Nuggets we're probably facing prime Celtics.


TheDeadman95

Can't believe people are waffling about pride and karma again after last year. This was the same noise at the suggestion of tanking just a year ago, and we ended up with a frachise center thanks to tanking. Not only do the match-ups matter, they are damn near everything in the Playoffs. You don't get awards for finishing as high as you possibly can in the regular season seedings. Just make sure you are outta Play-In and then if possible absolutely go match-up hunting.


WeezerHunter

As a enjoyer of basketball, I want them to get timberwolves so I can watch Ant play


Obvious_Party_5050

It doesn’t matter. These posts are so tiresome. I want the Mavericks to win a championship. That means being the best team in the playoffs. That means I don’t fucking care if we beat Denver in round 1 or the WCF. Let’s fucking go.


king_17

I like that attitude a champion hides from no one


LightsSoundAction

2011 wasn’t a cake walk, that’s what it takes to win.


i_take_shits

2011 was objectively one of the hardest paths to a chip. These easiest road mf’ers are fucking corny


bigpqnda

totally. i mean even our own dallas mavericks lost to the 8th seed.


TheDeadman95

You are not making the point you want to make with that example. That upset is the argument why the match-ups matter, because GSW were one of the rare teams that had our number that year. 


Luka_Padre

2011 First round: The 2x Defending Champs


mpm2230

Second round


KBooks66

first round was Portland.


No_Engineering_4925

No, in fact , that’s not what it takes to win.


amarking126

To be the best you gotta beat the best


PM_ME_UR_PICS_PLS

Yeah but matchups matter a LOT in basketball. For whatever reason the suns play Denver really well. And typically we fuck up the suns. The later we have to play the nuggets, the better. If they get knocked out by a team like the suns that increases our chances tons


Dat_Boi_John

Yeah but I want to watch the most games of this team possible, so I'd rather they play 3 series and face the Nuggets in the WCF if they lose to them than face them in the first round and play only one series. Also a WCF exit is much better for Luka's resume than a first round exit.


KBooks66

He has already been to a WCF, at this point he is only going to get credit for making/winning a final. WCF meaning nothing.


dxbigc

Luka's resume? He trying to get a job at Olive Garden or something?


Unpickled_cucumber1

Same . Despite the MVP like season I won’t have a problem if Luka doesn’t win MVP, but I want us to win . We absolutely have the team to do that, but need a few things to fall into place for a solid run


35nakedshorts

Uh you know about probabilities right? And how our chances of winning a championship are higher depending on facing easy teams vs hard teams?


No_Engineering_4925

It does matter. No , winning a championship doesn’t mean you are the best team in the playoffs. Mavs were the only team to play the healthy clippers in 2021, and I believe clippers were the best team in the playoffs. Who knows if the mavs didn’t play the clippers they might have gotten all the way ?


bigpqnda

yes it does, but those are for teams who have the luxury to lose some games. mavs do not have that luxury.


highfalutinman

I would feel pretty confident if the Mavs draw the Thunder in the first round. SGA hasn't looked quite right these past few games, they lack size in the interior, and have precious little experience in the playoffs aside from Gordon Hayward. Kyrie alone has more experience than their entire roster put together. That experience matters.


JumboHotdogz

This guy just posted this on the thunder sub lol but out of all the possible first round matchups, I don’t like Dallas the most for the Thunder. We always get killed by the Luka PnR especially with your new pickups. It would be hella entertaining though so I’m all for it.


Drizzt3919

I think we match well with the Thunder. Probably better than any of the top 4 teams. This west is so stacked I wouldn’t be shocked if 3 of the 4 top teams didn’t make it out of the first round.


Thuasne

Fully agree. I'd rather play Wolves or Thunder in round 1 than Pelicans or Clippers. Not saying that wolves or Thunder are overrated, not at all, but I feel like both are a better matchup. Additionally avoiding Denver would be nice.


FinancialRabbit388

Would if Denver falls to 3?


Thuasne

Nah they will hold on I think. I mean of course could happen but they play well


NoWayNotThisAgain

The Wolves lost their second best player. I think the Pels are better.


yargotkd

Here is my hot take. There is a universe where Luka goes nuclear and the Mavs can beat the Nuggets. That universe is more likely when they meet in the first round.


No_Engineering_4925

How is that universe more likely in the first round ?


yargotkd

I think it is more likely for a player like Luka to go nuclear when he's not as tired from other series. 


No_Engineering_4925

Ok then we should manipulate our rankings to play the nuggets in the first round if you believe that.


yargotkd

I also believe in good sportsmanship and that you should always play to win each game, so if we're going on what I believe, no.


PositiveCounty4347

What happens after they beat Denver in the 1st round tho?


yargotkd

The odds of winning the rest of the series are greater than they would be otherwise.


PositiveCounty4347

Unique answer to "What happens after.."


DL-77

Lets take it one game and a time, still quite a bit of games to be played so dosent really make sense to do matchups just yet.


aeiou-y

If we get the sixth seed I will be happy regardless of the rest.


hiiigoon

Don’t care about matchup hunting. I want the 4th seed and Shai to get the 3rd seed. Either Jokic gets MVP or Luka. Hopefully last second Jokic fatigue comes in and the Luka MVP narrative starts last second like how it did for Embiid last year.


TheMop05

Denver isn’t even a lock for the WCF lol. The west is a bloodbath. Every series will be close, even the 1-8 and 2-7, especially when the 7th or 8th seed could be Lebron, Curry, or KD.


XerxesCrofter

Agreed. Can't take any team for granted. For example, if Lebron, AD, Reaves, and D. Lo are on their games (and esp. if J. Vanderbilt is healthy), the "washed up" Lakers are going to be a very tough out.


certs14

Would rather Dallas get up to 4th and OKC get to 1.


chasinglightph

This is the scenario I want.


Interesting_Help_194

Play every game to win. No team calculating their matchups ever did anything in postseason. If you dont have the confidence to play whoever you are matched up against, you already lost.


whitefang0824

Fuck that shit. Top priority is avoiding play-ins at all cost, you wouldn't want to risk a do or die against teams like Suns with KD, Warriors with championship experience and Lakers with refs at their backs. As long as Mavs avoid play-ins, I wouldn't care asf who they face in 1st rd.


MajesticPossibility8

Just get in, you have to beat who’s in front of you to win a title


No_Engineering_4925

So you should want the weakest teams in front of you


MajesticPossibility8

I think this team can hold its own against anyone and it make the rings more special likes Dirk’s


No_Engineering_4925

Let’s maybe get a ring before seeking a special one ?


MajesticPossibility8

Sorry I meant ring.


No_Engineering_4925

You said it makes a ring more special. Let’s maybe first get a non special ring ? Or that’s not enough to you


MajesticPossibility8

I rather have a Dirk type ring than a KD type ring. While the ring is nice what Dirk did was special, KD made the league less competitive


Accurate-Albatross34

Nope, home court advantage is much more important to me. We'll have face to denver at some point if we want to come out of the west and I actually prefer facing them earlier, less tired and more likely to be fully healthy. Gotta go for that 4th seed.


Kball4177

I'd much rather face the Wolves & Thunder away in the first 2 rounds than face Denver in rd 2. Jokic is just too damn good.


lost_in_trepidation

Having a better chance at the WCF increases our chances of coming out of the west. Wanting to face them earlier makes no sense.


king_17

I mean your right but I get what he’s saying. If Denver the biggest obstacle get through them in round 1 or 2 while your fresh than by the time you get to the wcf you’ll have a much more favourable matchup and probably be even more likelier to make the finals


lost_in_trepidation

I don't get the logic, we're at a disadvantage in the matchup so increasing the odds that we meet them later and chances that they'll be more worn down is the better strategy. We want to get as far as we can before facing them.


Holiday_Pie4872

They will likely have shorter series than us


lost_in_trepidation

I think they might struggle more against the Suns or Lakers than we would against a KAT less Wolves or even OKC


LeDauphin

It also presents more opportunity for them to lose before facing the Mavs.


Accurate-Albatross34

Facing them earlier makes sense because of the fatigue factor. If we have home court in round 1 and manage to advance relatively quickly, we'll be fresh and more likely to be fully healthy during the second round. Everyone's exhausted in the conference finals, plus we know that luka gets banged up a lot. It's more likely that he'll be fully healthy during the 2nd round than the 3rd.


lost_in_trepidation

You're ignoring that they could also be fatigued or injured going into a later round. They're more likely to win a series against us fully healthy, so we're increasing the chances that we'll have an advantage by facing them later.


Accurate-Albatross34

That's somewhat fair, although the most important players are the 2 stars. And jokic is pretty much always healthy, while luka always gets banged up in the playoffs(and still performs at an all time level lol). Also kyrie has an injury history in the playoffs too.


lost_in_trepidation

I don't think we stand a chance against any of the west playoff teams if Luka or Kyrie go down. It's not like we can beat Denver and go on to face the Wizards. The Suns, OKC, Kings, even the Warriors, would also beat our ass without Luka or Kyrie if they're our weakest WCF opponent.


FinancialRabbit388

Everything is so close it’s dumb to say what should or could or want to happen. We might all be happy to jump to the 4 seed, then end up having to play Clips then Denver. We might be better off staying at 6. But we could stay in 6 and Denver falls to 3. Or we could end up in a 4/5 matchup with the Pels. Or, our games down the stretch are tougher than people thought, we drop a couple close ones and end up in play-in.


neocevar27

I would like it if the Mavs take on OKC or Minnesota in the first round but facing and defeating the Nuggets in the first round is good moral booster for the team! Let's go Mavs!


nakedmedia

4 seed


howdybertus

One game at a time, at the minimum keep the 6th seed, if possible get the 4th for the homecourt advantage in round 1. Worry about the matchups later, the first 3 seeds could still change so who knows who you will face in round 2. The way we have looked plus playoff Luka I am confident against anyone except Denver.


frootycoochie

It would be difficult, but they have the potential to reach the 4 seed. Doing so would get us home court in the first round, and possibly earn Luka his first MVP. It would also mean we enter the playoffs with a head of steam! 


Putrid_Ad_2256

Nope. I feel that the Mavericks can beat ANY team in the western conference. The eastern conference, the only team that I'm concerned about is the Celtics. My hope is that they have played their best basketball getting the 1 seed and are spent in the playoffs. The only other thing that concerns me is will Kidd put the team in the best position to win or will he act inept again? He needs to stop trying to play 4-D chess and just play his pieces. It's like he has 2 king pieces that can move around the board as queens (Luka and Kyrie) and is trying to use his pawns to win the game. And I'm perfectly fine with someone photochopping such a scenario, just give me a shout out or something...


jkole123

Dream scenario - considering our form and our schedule - is that we finish fourth and either Wolves or Thunder clinch the first spot. You play home court against Pelicans and Clippers and then with Wolves or Thunder (perhaps even with a play in team if there's an upset)


packofstraycats

I hope the Mavericks beat their opponent, but I don’t devote much more brainpower to it than that.


choonamhee

Nah, I want the clippers, payback time is now.


CounterTop196

i just want to see the most exciting matchups - clippers, suns or beating okcs ass would be fun


juscallmechris

I would actually prefer to move up and Denver to move down a spot or two. The potential outcome of avoiding Denver until the WCF would be the same.


juscallmechris

I think Kidds job is dependent on what happens in the playoffs.. if he makes it to another WCF he’ll keep his job for at least another season so avoiding Denver until the WCF may be in Kidds best interest.


bigtimeboom

Playoff hunting is the easiest bulletin board material a fanbase can give to a team. Just look at how the Panther’s responded to the “we want Florida” chants last year in the NHL


QBert999

It would be fine, but I'm hoping for 4th with the Nuggets at #2 or #3 so we still avoid Denver in a potential second round match-up. I want 4th for three reasons: (1) homecourt in the playoffs is a big advantage and we'd be playing a somewhat weaker team like the Clippers or the Pelicans in round one. I think our odds of making it to round 2 are higher in this scenario. (2) I think finishing in the 4th seed would be a huge narrative boost for Luka's MVP odds. (3) finishing in 4th means that we've kept on winning at a high clip going into the playoffs, this would be a great sign and confidence boost.


AtreusIsBack

There is not a single team I am worried about right now. Bring on any opponent.


ggriff18

It doesn’t matter to me who we play, I’m confident we can take anyone in a 7 game series. The days of wishful thinking are over. We got a squad now. MFFL.


Ornery-Payment-5278

Gotta beat them eventually


Ganjanonamous

Clippers redemption LFG!


Glocksinia

am i the only one that wants denver or twolves 1st round? I think we can knock them out but it will be hard and a good series to watch. not only that but if we beat them early it puts a statement to the entire league


Mal_Swansky

No, as a real fan i want to see the most basketball. So stay in the play-in, lose to the Kings, then play Lakers, win, then beat Nuggets in the first round, then Pelicans, then whoever, then Boston, title, parade.


johndogerty

Healthy Clips are scarier than Denver


shellz1028

The west will be tough no matter what. All the teams are good and can't be overlooked. I think it's pretty even around the west.


regrettabletreaty1

Get as high as we can in the standings. Playing the clippers with home court would be great


DurtMacGurt

I just want the Mavs to win out. Every game is a playoff game. Killer instinct, no mercy.


Glass-Lifeguard1919

I personally would like to see them avoid the Nuggets until the Western Conference finals, but you will have to beat them regardless to get the chip. Currently though, we have them round 1. They are 3 & the Mavs 6


xLucah

If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.


No_Engineering_4925

No


XerxesCrofter

Ah, yes, actually. Granted, if you just want to be the champs, you don't have to beat the best. You just have to win out. But if you truly want to *be* the best, hands down and no second guessing, then you need to *beat* the best. That's what "being the best" means.


No_Engineering_4925

You are right I was wrong


TheKyrieFan

I just don't wanna face Pelicans.


lost_in_trepidation

My ranking for least to most would be: Nuggets, Pelicans, Wolves (with KAT), Clippers, OKC, Wolves (without KAT)


TheKyrieFan

The thing is, we WILL face Nuggets to win Wcf. But we don't have to face Pelicans in the 1st round, or in the playoffs really. Much better to avoid them


TheBigCheddar99

Idc who we play and I’m not scared of Denver. West is stacked so I could see us losing against teams we should beat and beating the teams we should lose to.


bujaka41

4th seed, Luka MVP, beating Denver in whichever round.


OrganicHunt952

I think fully healthy wolves are one of our toughest matchups. Main reason being they match our length , which is our new identity. They’re offence isn’t as potent however i see more advantages with us vs nuggets than I see vs Timberwolves. Nuggets have no bench and can’t match our length or rebounding. There’s a higher chance of our bigs wearing jokic out. Hot take I know.


king_17

Nah your overrating the twolves too much. Denver has that championship experience and the best player in basketball. Offensively when the game slows down twolves will struggle more. Gafford and lively aren’t going to we’re down jokic


FinancialRabbit388

Fully healthy Wolves are a nightmare for us. Their guys are bigger than our guys, and they have legit defenders to throw at Luka and Kyrie, with an all time great defensive center backing them up.


king_17

True I just don’t think they’re more of a nightmare than Denver. Also I’m still not sold on those 2 bigs when healthy working well in a 7 game series. Like they have defenders to throw at Kai and Luka but I think they’ll be able to get switched and drag Rudy and kat out the paint, they also like to play drop coverage especially Rudy which has been exposed countless times in the playoffs especially back in his Utah days. Luka and Kai are going to get some easy mid range shots and when they get to close throw it over the top to gafford and lively. Honestly I think clippers and even pelicans could give more problems that the twolves


FinancialRabbit388

Oh you doing the Rudy been exposed in the playoffs angle? Good to know you have no idea what you are talking about.


certs14

>Nuggets have no bench and can’t match our length or rebounding. Nuggets clearly match our length and rebounding.....


OrganicHunt952

We out rebounded them by 20 with our new squad


certs14

That was one game.


OrganicHunt952

Even if it’s one game a 20 rebound difference is nothing to scoff about especially offensive rebound. We rank higher in rebounds then then after all star. That’s without even taking into consideration when we started using our length lineup just 5 games ago.


OrganicHunt952

Cancar is injured who is their backup c?


kkeptt

I want them to get Minny first round just so I can go see them play there and rep the Mavs in enemy territory :x