The long-awaited NBA return to play in the bubble environment at Disney World will commence on July 30th. The 22 teams invited to Orlando will play eight regular-season games followed by the playoffs in order to crown the champion of the suspended season.
Many players may have used the quarantine to work out and improve their games. However, don’t be surprised if some are a little slow coming out of the gate. The period between the last game on March 11th to the first game on July 30th is longer than the normal offseason.
If a top team is not at the top of their game coming out of quarantine, it would not be surprising if a hungry lower-seeded team could take them out in a seven-game series.
The Dallas Mavericks are in a prime position to compete with some of the Western Conference teams and possibly make it to the NBA Finals.
The Mavericks are currently in 7th place in an intense Western Conference. As of right now, the Mavericks would play the Clippers in round one of the playoffs, and the Clippers would most likely be a handful for them.
Even if they do win that series, it would likely be in six or seven games which may wear them out for their next matchup.
Dallas does have a chance to secure an easier road through the playoffs, however, if they have success during the eight-game regular season.
They are currently 1.5 games out of 5th place and 2.5 games out of fourth place, while also having the 12th easiest schedule in the NBA, meaning that upward movement in the standings is very possible.
The Mavericks are averaging 115.8 points per 100 possessions, on pace to be the most efficient offense in NBA history, and have proved throughout the regular season that they come to play when the best teams in the league come to town.
It seems like if the stars align, the duo of Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingus could lead the Mavericks past some of the heavyweights in the Western Conference to put together a magical run.
Photo Credit: SBNation
