Mavs average, Boston bad vs. elite foes
I'm too lazy to do the research to prove that point, but I was motivated enough to calculate the records of the current top four seeds in each conference against each other.
The results are definitely not discouraging for the Mavs, who are 7-7 against elite competition. Most encouraging: That includes going 3-0 against the Magic, Lakers and Hawks with the remodeled roster since the All-Star break.
The Mavs ought to improve that record Saturday night agianst the Celtics. Boston, which is playing the butt end of a back-to-back, has the worst record of the group against top-four seeds (4-11).
Now, some bad news: The Nuggets, the Mavs' probable opponent in the second-round of the playoffs, is the best of the bunch at 10-4. (Denver comes to Dallas on March 29, which will be the finale of a tough five-game road trip for the Nuggets, who play in Orlando the previous night. That might be the most important game of the regular season for the Mavs, with a tiebreaker on the line.)
The records of the top four seeds against each other:
Denver Nuggets -- 10-4
Cleveland Cavalier -- 10-6
Orlando Magic -- 9-7
Los Angeles Lakers -- 8-8
Atlanta Hawks -- 8-8
Dallas Mavericks -- 7-7
Utah Jazz -- 6-11
Boston Celtics -- 4-11
Tim MacMahon
ESPNDallas.com- Joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Worked at Dallas Morning News for six years
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan joined ESPNDallas.com in December 2009. Jeff covers the Mavericks, Rangers and colleges. He has a wealth of experience in the area, covering multiple beats in his 11-plus years with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Marc Stein
Marc Stein began writing for ESPN.com in 2000 and signed on full-time in 2002 as Senior NBA Writer. He also makes regular appearances on "SportsCenter," "NBA Shootaround," "NBA Fastbreak," "NBA Coast To Coast," ESPNEWS, ESPN "First Take" and ESPN Radio.
Jeff "Skin" Wade
Jeff Wade joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2009. He is one half of "The Ben & Skin Show," heard weekdays from 9a-12p on 103.3 FM ESPN, and also works as sideline analyst for the TV broadcast of all Maverick home games.
103.3 FM ESPN PODCASTS
Play Podcast ESPN's Stephen A. Smith chimes in on the Dallas Mavericks' season, their free agency plans and more.
Play Podcast Mike and Mike join Ben and Skin to discuss Jerry Jones' window and the Mavs future. They don't see Dirk Nowitzki leaving even if the Mavs miss out on the dream of Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.
Play Podcast Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki says he's too old to stay with a rebuilding franchise but couldn't imagine himself leaving the city of Dallas.
Play Podcast Is the Dwight Howard to the Mavs dream alive? Dwight still wants out of Orlando and it could open the door for the Mavs to put a proposal together.
Play Podcast Mavs guard Delonte West dishes on his desire to return to the Mavs, his relationship with Lebron James and how he ended up hanging out with Dez Bryant over the weekend.
Play Podcast Ben and Skin discuss the three most important figures for the Rangers, Mavs, and Cowboys. Who is the most vital to the ultimate success of each organization?
TEAM LEADERS
| POINTS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Dirk Nowitzki
|
|||||||||||
| OTHER LEADERS | ||||||||||||
| Rebounds | S. Marion | 7.4 | ||||||||||
| Assists | J. Kidd | 5.5 | ||||||||||
| Steals | J. Kidd | 1.7 | ||||||||||
| Blocks | B. Wright | 1.3 | ||||||||||
You must be signed in to post a comment