So are people taking the Mavs seriously as top title contender yet?

[quote=All Net]Lets face it they are playing great, 24-5 record, beaten Miami twice, Spurs, great record against 500 above teams

Chandler inside has made a real difference inside for them.

You believe they have a great shot to be champs come end of the season? or still not sure?[/quote]

no, they are a regular season team... they don't have the right mix and coaching to take them to the finals and win.


:pimp:

IMO

Whoever gets that number 1 seed is going on to the Finals and if the Mavs can manage that they'll be in great shape. Unlike years past in this year's WC I think Spurs, Mavs, and Lakers (possibly Utah) or head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. So I don't see upsets like in year's past happening in the first round for the top teams.

Now the number one seed assuming it's either Spurs, Mavs, or Lakers will only have to beat the winner of the 2-3 series in order to move on to the conference finals. Which is a far easier road than having to beat a combination of Mavs/Spurs, Mavs/Lakers or Spurs/Lakers.

With all that being said I think this is best Mavs team in the Dirk era.

[QUOTE=Vince McMahon]nope, other than dirk the whole team will choke in the playoffs.[/QUOTE]

/end of thread.

Lakers vs celtics all over again.

I'd love to see the Spurs and Mavs be real challengers to the Lakers, but I still don't buy it. I could see either match up going seven games, but I can't see them actually winning.

We took them seriously in 2007 and look where that got us. Lets just wait and see.

They need to get the #1 seed in order to have the Spurs and Lakers beat up on each other. If not it will take alot of luck and Dirk playing out of his mind for them to make it to the Finals. They finally have the balance and talent to win it, and Beaubois, who is a wild card when he returns, could make them even better.

In other words, whoever gets the #1 seed will go to the Finals in the West IMO. And Dallas has a good a chance as anyone, making them a clear contender.

The Mavs might be more intriguing as a ring threat with a lock down defensive specialist that could cover the opposition's main scoring threat - like a Bowen, Artest, Pippen etc.

Another knock on Dirk N is that he is just not tough enough to secure a nba world championship ring. Garnett, for example, would throw DN halfway across the court just to intimidate him with a ring on the line.

And then you'd have Cuban post-game up in the player's family area of the arena calling the opposition's peeps a "bunch of thugs"! We remember the playoff intensity of the Nuggets/Mavericks series, dont we? Cuban did not handle it too well...

[QUOTE=Kurosawa0]I'd love to see the Spurs and Mavs be real challengers to the Lakers, but I still don't buy it. I could see either match up going seven games, but I can't see them actually winning.[/QUOTE]

If the Lakers have to go through the Mavs and Spurs they aren't coming out of the West.

[QUOTE=Mr Know It All]They need to get the #1 seed in order to have the Spurs and Lakers beat up on each other. If not it will take alot of luck and Dirk playing out of his mind for them to make it to the Finals. They finally have the balance and talent to win it, and Beaubois, who is a wild card when he returns, could make them even better.

In other words, whoever gets the #1 seed will go to the Finals in the West IMO. And Dallas has a good a chance as anyone, making them a clear contender.[/QUOTE]

Yea I made a similar point I think that 1 seed is the key to the Finals.

I thought they could have won it last year. Unfortunately they ran into a tough 1st round team in the Spurs.

[QUOTE=bettalaylow]If the Lakers have to go through the Mavs and Spurs they aren't coming out of the West.[/QUOTE]

I just don't see it with Duncan being old and the Mavs not having a big wing player.

Chokers...

[QUOTE=eppelp]Didn't he say "he was our closer today"? Or was that crappy german translation?[/QUOTE]


Dirk rarely takes credit for anything. He is constantly giving his teammates props.

Its very typical of him to give that kind of credit to a guy like Terry who, much like Manu, could have been a starter all these years but went to the bench to help the team.

In the 4th the Mavs offense is usually Terry and Dirk running a two man game but Dirk is ALWAYS option #1 and most definitely the Mavs true closer. He simply does not care who gets the love. All he wants is a win.

[QUOTE=R4E]

Another knock on Dirk N is that he is just not tough enough to secure a nba world championship ring. Garnett, for example, would throw DN halfway across the court just to intimidate him with a ring on the line.
[/QUOTE]

there is not a single player in the NBA that Dirk is intimidated by. This is especially true of KG who Dirk has consistently beasted on for the last 10 years. I have seen KG get so pissed from Dirk laughing off KG's barking (as in literally laughing in KGs face) that he got booted from a game.

You piss off Dirk, he is likely to go nuts on you.

[QUOTE=kentatm]there is not a single player in the NBA that Dirk is intimidated by. This is especially true of KG who Dirk has consistently beasted on for the last 10 years. I have seen KG get so pissed from Dirk laughing off KG's barking (as in literally laughing in KGs face) that he got booted from a game.

You piss off Dirk, he is likely to go nuts on you.[/QUOTE]

Ya I don't understand how people can knock on Dirk as not being a viable #1 option and point to KG as a guy who got it done. Fact is he never did without two HOFers on his team, and KG never had the pressure of having to make the big shots Dirk did in that Boston championship run.

Dirk has consistently outperformed KG in their battles. Hell even in 2002 when Dirk supposedly had "no defense" and was "softer than ever" he beasted on KG and averaged somewhere around 30/15 in the series.

Dirk is a true #1 option. Hell, he's one of 5 players EVER to average 25 and 10 in the playoffs. Anyone questioning his status as a superstar is either misinformed, a moron, or simply dislikes Dirk as a player for their own reasons.