Dallas Mavericks Qualify For Playoffs but Must ‘Learn From Mistakes’
The Dallas Mavericks, despite losing, have qualified for the NBA playoffs, thanks to a favor from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Dallas Mavericks are 0 – 2 in the Orlando Bubble, having opened with a 153 – 149 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Fortunately, their postseason berth was secured on Sunday when the San Antonio Spurs beat the Grizzlies 108 – 106. The ending of their three-year playoff drought did not have a buoyant effect, as hours later they lost to the Suns by two points.
The Memphis result means that the Dallas Mavericks are assured of finishing no lower than seventh in the Western Conference.
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However, they trail the Thunder by three games with six remaining. As a result, the Mavericks are likely to face the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
“Our goal was to make the playoffs, and we achieved that, but for me and for us, we’re going to try to win every game now that we have left in the regular season,” said Mavs center Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 30 points in the loss.Â
“Then, we’ll see where we end up in the playoffs and go from there. This is not a sprint. This is a marathon, and with each day, with each game, with each practice, we want to be a better team and better individually.”
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An NBA Championship is built upon a foundation of small gains. It’s those fine margins that can be definitive, and which Dallas has failed to master this year. The team has a bad habit of losing tight games, and has the most losses in the league in games that are decided by three points or less.
“That was the objective, to get to the playoffs this year,” said point guard Luka Doncic.
“It doesn’t matter who you play. If you want to win, you’ve got to beat everybody. We’ve just got to learn from these mistakes.”
