After last night’s victory over the Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks are 42-29 on the year.
Last night’s win was their fourth win in a row, and the Mavs are stringing together wins at the perfect time. Game by game, this team is showing the rest of the league that they are true contenders.
The rest of the league and media are also finally starting to notice that Dallas is the real deal as well, with many people complimenting the way they have been playing lately. One NBA legend weighed in on the Mavs last week, and his confidence in the team from the outside looking in will excite fans.
Lakers legend bluntly warns the rest of NBA to ‘watch out’ for the Dallas Mavericks
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson gave his take about the Mavs, saying that they are “a different team with new additions of Washington, Lively, and Gafford” and to “watch out for them in the playoffs.”
I want to put the Western Conference on notice – the Dallas Mavericks, coached under HOF Jason Kidd, are a different team with new additions of Washington, Lively, and Gafford. Watch out for them in the playoffs!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 18, 2024
Johnson is absolutely right about the Mavs being a new team with P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford, as they both have provided a huge boost defensively. Washington has turned into Dallas’ best perimeter defender while Gafford is the new anchor for the Mavs’ defense.
Gafford is also a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, as he is a great lob threat and finisher through traffic. With these new additions, the Mavs have become more of a defensively focused team and the team chemistry is on another level.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are also meshing better than ever, and Irving has been under the national spotlight ever since he hit the game-winning shot against the Denver Nuggets. Irving is averaging 25.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from downtown. He has been having one of the most underrated seasons of his career, and Dallas has been the perfect place for him.
He and Doncic’s ability to click on and off the court has been massive for this team, as they have put their clutch woes from last season aside and turned into one of the scariest duos in the NBA. The improved team chemistry shouldn’t go unnoticed, and the Mavs have all the tools to make a deep playoff run.
Only time will tell if Magic Johnson’s warning to the rest of the NBA will hold up, but they are definitely a team that no one wants to see in the first round of the playoffs.
For all the latest on Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.
