mavs championship window: going, going, gone?

Pancho_Pantera · Post #41 » by **Pancho_Pantera** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 8:42 pm

Yeah, they're a second tier team now.

East_Coast · Post #42 » by **East_Coast** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 9:22 pm

With 'irk' the choker as your #1, the Mavs will never contend again for a chip. Their window closed when they couldn't finish the Heat in Game 3. The other teams in the West have simply improved too much. The Mavs just don't match up with the Lakers anymore.

NetsForce · Post #43 » by **NetsForce** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 10:00 pm

But Irk has made it to the finals unlike so many other players on the top teams in the west even if he's a choker he's a choker that can make the finals while these certain other players I'm talking about have yet to even get the chance to choke on the highest stage...

exkonvict · Post #44 » by **exkonvict** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 11:33 pm

This season would be the Mav's last chance. If they don't do anything in the playoffs, they will disappear instantly. With the emergence of all these ridiculous teams in the West, the Mavs can't keep up.

Ballings7 · Post #45 » by **Ballings7** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 11:40 pm

Dirk's choking is way exaggerated... sure there's been some times, but the short-comings have been and are much more related to the defense played against him.

Credit is due where it's deserved - and a good deal of that is the defense on him over the years.

Rocky5000 · Post #46 » by **Rocky5000** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 11:45 pm

IMO, the WARRIORS with Webber are now better than the Mavs and will be into the future. Dallas is looking like maybe the 7th or 8th best team in out West. Shaq can still be dominant, everyone's been sleeping on him this year because of injuries, but I believe he's still got that intense motivation to win. As long as that is there, his teams will be successful. Can Shaq get in on the all-star game playing for the West?
West teams better than the Mavs:
New Orleans
Spurs
Lakers
Suns
Rockets
Utah

Debatable
Nuggets
Warriors

Rand10 · Post #47 » by **Rand10** » Wed Feb 6, 2008 11:57 pm

People are sleeping on Dallas. All we've heard since the Warriors series was that the regular season doesn't mean a thing. Now that we're taking it easy through the season (and are still 2nd in the west without playing near our best basketball), we've fallen off the map? :crazy:

The west will be extremely hard for any team to come out of, so it's very possible Dallas won't be able to do it. They've got just as good a shot as anyone though.

Captain_Obvious · Post #48 » by **Captain_Obvious** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 12:13 am

Rocky5000 wrote:IMO, the WARRIORS with Webber are now better than the Mavs and will be into the future. Dallas is looking like maybe the 7th or 8th best team in out West. Shaq can still be dominant, everyone's been sleeping on him this year because of injuries, but I believe he's still got that intense motivation to win. As long as that is there, his teams will be successful. Can Shaq get in on the all-star game playing for the West?
West teams better than the Mavs:
New Orleans
Spurs
Lakers
Suns
Rockets
Utah

Debatable
Nuggets
Warriors

The Warriors traded jRich, who was always a Mavs-killer, and are now going to start Webber. If they start Biedrins and Webber i don't care who guards Dirk, because he will kill both. Jackson guarding Dirk was one of the main reasons for the upset. The Webber signing and the shipping of jrich played into the hands of the Mavs.
What Shaq will do in PHX will be quite interesting, but i think Dallas might match up even better with them now. They better hope Shaq has sth left, it gets ugly otherwise.
And no, neither NO nor Houston is better than Dallas.

I like that everyone is sleeping on Dallas, they play much better without pressure.

OhMyBosh · Post #49 » by **OhMyBosh** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 2:27 am

The Mavs are still a good team. However, they're beatable. The team relies on Dirk, Terry, or Howard getting hot. They don't seem like the team they used to be. They haven't improved enough like the rest of the league.

kdot99 · Post #50 » by **kdot99** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 3:00 am

Captain_Obvious wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

The Warriors traded jRich, who was always a Mavs-killer, and are now going to start Webber. If they start Biedrins and Webber i don't care who guards Dirk, because he will kill both. Jackson guarding Dirk was one of the main reasons for the upset. The Webber signing and the shipping of jrich played into the hands of the Mavs.
What Shaq will do in PHX will be quite interesting, but i think Dallas might match up even better with them now. They better hope Shaq has sth left, it gets ugly otherwise.
And no, neither NO nor Houston is better than Dallas.

I like that everyone is sleeping on Dallas, they play much better without pressure.

Did you forget the guy who shut down Dirk last post season? Stephen Jackson? Ya he's still on the Warriors and starting...he'll be the one guarding Dirk...not C-Webb or Biens.

Chester0 · Post #51 » by **Chester0** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 3:32 am

They have an as good or better chance than anyone else in the west. Its pretty wide open this year though, so I'm not calling them favorites, but their window is not closed.

And uh yeah... why this thread after Phoenix just got worse? That and I fail to see how Pau freaking Gasol lets the lakers leapfrog the rest of the west? I mean, people in this thread are bashing Dirk for being soft...

jourdy · Post #52 » by **jourdy** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 4:17 am

Dallas has lost an edge since the Western teams have had upgrades. The emergence of NO and Portland will definitely hinder the Mavs chances in the future. However, right now, the team I still fear the most is SA and Phoenix.

Lakers are definitely better, and has a great chance of going deep in the PO, but I'd like to first see how they fare before I follow suit with 90% of RealGMers who say LA will win the championship.

thaAteam · Post #53 » by **thaAteam** » Thu Feb 7, 2008 6:06 am

gasol is a nice piece for the lakers nut hes not a superstar, and neither is bynum who is averaging 13 and 10 so please het off the lakers nuts. every top 10 team is a west is just a trade away from the title, phoenix made a change in a different direction, the mavs will be fine and if their is a deal to be made mark cuban will make it.