Will Mavs Improve on Superb Season?

Texas basketball rivalries once meant something. However, the last four years of the NBA haven't gifted fans with anything significant regarding rivalries within the Lone Star state. For now, the Dallas Mavericks are the only legitimate team in Texas.

Will the Mavericks finish among the top of the Western Conference, or will the 2024 NBA Finals runner-up fall from the contending pecking order with the San Antonio Spurs slithering up the standings?

Following the 2022-23 season in which the Mavericks missed the playoffs, it's outstanding the Luka Doncic-led team skyrocketed to an NBA Finals run in 2024. Dallas was the 16th team to make the NBA Finals after missing the postseason a year prior.

While Doncic and Kyrie Irving deserve credit for such a magical run, Nico Harrison, the Mavs president of basketball operations, filled in the massive holes in Dallas' roster.

Firstly, Harrison took a risk at selecting center Dereck Lively II in the 2024 NBA Draft. Shockingly, the rookie center anchored the Mavericks' defense. Dallas began the season as one of the worst defensive teams in the league. However, the Mavericks experienced a significant improvement by finishing the season with the best defensive rating in the last 15 games.

Harrison also found P.J. Washington Jr. to be a diamond in the rough. Washington offers Dallas a wildcard third option in the offense. During the 2024 playoffs, Washington contributed, especially against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he averaged 17 points per game during the six-game series.

Although the Mavs lost the NBA Finals in five games to the Boston Celtics, their run to the championship round as a five-seed came after beating two favored teams. It's likely Dallas will improve to a top-three team in the Western Conference.

Considering Dallas, anything lower than a five-seed seems an unwise projection. While the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns could improve, Dallas' continuity, depth, and the power of its superstar backcourt blesses the 2024 Western Conference champions with a myriad of strengths.

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Expect the Mavericks to big-brother the Spurs for the 2024-25 season. However, the Spurs won't take it lying down, as they improved by acquiring veteran rotation players in the 2024 offseason.