NBA Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks Are The Biggest Threat To San Antonio Spurs Out West

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By @DSchultz89

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It has been noted many times over the past few years that the Western Conference in the NBA is incredibly competitive and not easy to play in. Teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers remain favorites to go to the NBA Finals this season.

One team that people have curiously undervalued remains the Dallas Mavericks. Many remember that the Spurs coasted to an NBA championship after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers in five games, the Thunder in six, and finally the Miami Heat in five, but the Mavericks gave the Spurs the best challenge in the first round when they took them to seven games as an eighth seed.

Now, with a vastly improved roster which includes players like Tyson Chandler and Chandler Parsons, this current Mavs roster is the best supporting cast that superstar Dirk Nowitzki has had since his team won the title in 2011. Nowitzki remains a force to be reckoned with, with an unguardable fadeaway jump shot and the most unique skillset for a 7-footer that basketball fans have ever seen.

Outside of Gregg Popovich of the Spurs, Rick Carlisle might be the best coach in the NBA given the magic he worked with the roster he had last year.

A lot of pressure will be put on Parsons to take the next step and become the superstar he claimed he could become after an ugly exit from the Houston Rockets. Parsons must concentrate on his defensive game more this year as the team will rely on him to defend the opposition’s best perimeter player after losing Shawn Marion to the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency. Parsons is a decorated offensive player with the ability to score from anywhere on the floor.

He may be focusing on becoming a 20-plus PPG player, which is fine, but he also must accept the responsibility of turning into the team’s top perimeter defender.

Speaking of defense, a lot of attention will rightly be on Chandler and his ability to stay on the floor. He only played in 55 games for the New York Knicks last season, which is a big reason as to why they agreed to part ways with him this summer. The Mavericks are clearly trying to turn back into the team they were when they won the title, and in order for this to happen, Chandler must remain healthy and be the defensive anchor for the team again.

While many look at the Thunder and the Clippers and consider them to be the primary threats to the Spurs going back to the NBA Finals for a third consecutive time, I believe the Mavs are the biggest threat to the defending champs from a pure matchup perspective. The Thunder seemed to have downgraded their bench this past offseason, and there are already rumors swirling on how long Kevin Durant will be there, which is an obvious distraction for any organization.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have issues closing out games. This was on display during Game 5 against the Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, when they clearly should have taken a 3-2 advantage in the series, but ended up losing in six. The Clippers still cannot leave DeAndre Jordan on the court at the end of close games because of his free throw woes, and although adding Spencer Hawes is a big plus, they still will not be able to use their best defender in closing time.

The Mavericks showed last season they know how to win in the clutch, evidenced by Carlisle drawing up a play for Vince Carter in Game 3 of the first round against the Spurs, when Carter nailed a three as time expired to give his team a 2-1 edge in the series. It was not a fluke that the Mavericks pushed the Spurs to seven games last year. They are a very well-coached team that only got better over this offseason. It is fitting that the new NBA season will kick off with these two teams facing off against one another yet again.

The Mavericks might not have as good of a record as the Spurs, Thunder or Clippers at the end of the season, but make no mistake: If they butt heads again with the Spurs in the postseason, they will be San Antonio’s biggest challenge once again this year.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

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