Until further notice, the Mavs aren’t elite. Sorry, but the proof is in the pratfalls.
After humbling losses to the Grizzlies and Warriors last week, Dallas sits in an uncomfortable spot I didn’t expect to see them this season: Lost in the pack of pretenders.
Mavs are 17-8, which ain’t bad. And they can beat Eastern Conference door mats New York and Detroit all they want this week. But until they beat a team above them in the West, they won’t be a legit contender.
Dallas has glaring deficiencies in defense and rebound. Without a transaction, those aren’t going away any time soon. What can’t be lacking is effort, energy and enthusiasm. Just by shooting and scoring, the Mavs can beat the bad teams. But not the good ones.
In their two most recent home losses to the Suns and Warriors, they inexplicably came out flat and lethargic. Trailed Phoenix by 12 after one quarter and Golden State by 19. They’re not good enough to dig that big of a hole. At Memphis they were outscored by 19 in the third quarter.
Last week was a test, and the Mavs failed miserably. They’re now 0-6 against the Top 8 in the Western Conference. Until they beat an elite team, we can’t begin to consider them elite themselves.
“We didn’t measure up well,” center Tyson Chandler told reporters after Saturday afternoon’s loss to the Warriors. “We clearly have a lot of holes that we need to fill.”
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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
