Who's Mavs' No. 1 Rival? Luka Vs. ... ?

AUG 30 RIVALS? Once upon a time, in their infancy, the Dallas Mavericks’ biggest rival was the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, when Mark Cuban and Don Nelson teamed up a quarter of a century ago, they in part tried to build a roster that could compete with Shaq's Lakers in the playoffs ...

A matchup that never even happened.

Also in the rivalry mix? The San Antonio Spurs, with David Robinson passing the torch to Tim Duncan as in-state nemeses.

Thanks to a couple of meetings in the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat have long been hated. The 2022 NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns was pretty intense, too.

But now ESPN analyst Tim Legler - himself a former Mav - says the best rivalry in the NBA is the … Mavs vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves?

In specific, Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Edwards . That seems to us to be quite a stretch, but it's an argument that puts Dallas on the map. So we'll take it.

AUG 23 Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has the respect of those in the basketball world - a world that extends beyond Dallas and beyond the NBA.

Kyrie recently involved himself in a workout that included Olivier-Maxence Prosper. That makes sense; he's a young member of the Mavs roster; mentoring there is a natural.

But Kyrie also worked with Judea "Juju" Watkins, who is a 19-year-old USC basketball star. As a freshman last season, the California native averaged 27 points.

There are fans who consider her to be Jordan-esque, which is a bit much for anybody. There are others who believe she has the skills to soon enough be a WNBA star right alongside Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.

The comparisons are flattering, but probably not fair. The influence from Kyrie, though, at least from a Dallas perspective, is all thumbs-up.

AUG 11 'NO ENTERTAINMENT' BALL IN EUROPE? Dennis Schroder has made quite a name for himself in FIBA basketball in the last few years. Although Germany finished fourth in men's Olympic basketball, the veteran NBA point guard displays a solid commitment to his native nation. Germany defeated Serbia 83-77 in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

However, Schroder's recent Olympic performance earned him a spot in the All-Star Five. He averaged 17 points and 7.5 assists and shot an efficient 39 percent from behind the three-point line.

Schroder's respect for European basketball bled into a recent postgame press conference. Germany's star point guard discussed the difference between European leagues and the NBA.

The Brooklyn Nets point guard admitted that the NBA is the best league in the world but that the "Europeans are coming."

Watch the video here .

AUG 10 NIKOLA JOKIC WINS WITH GRACE After a hard-fought match against Germany in the Bronze Medal Game, Serbia celebrated at center court. However, before the team's best player, Nikola Jokic joined his team, he made sure to show respect for Germany.

After a triple-double effort, Jokic still had the energy to shake every player's hand in Germany. Serbia beat Germany in the bronze medal game. Although Serbia foiled a chance to win gold vs. France, it can find solace in earning a medal after not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Watch the video here .

AUG 8 WHAT IS LUKA DONCIC'S RANKING? NBA 2K and the Dallas Mavericks have an affiliation. Aside from the Mavs gaming team via NBA 2K League, Dallas' superstar Luka Doncic achieved American cultural status by earning the NBA 2K22 cover.

NBA 2K25 will be released to the public in less than a month. During the promotional period, 2K will reveal information about the game.

Oddly, 2K figures the Mavericks as an 84 overall rating despite making the NBA Finals in 2024. However, Kyrie Irving and Doncic received their rightful respect following a historic campaign to the NBA Finals.

When you boot up your NBA 2K25, the screen will show Irving as a 94 overall and Doncic as a 97.