NBA: Don’t Count Out the Mavs While Dirk is Still Standing

The Mavs and Lakers have shared the last three NBA Championships. Ahead of their meeting tonight in Dallas, Al Dannity says a repeat for the Mavericks is not unthinkable if Dirk Nowitzki keeps playing the way he has in March.

It’s Dirk time
It was a slow and downright unfit start to the season for Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs struggled, they hung around the fringes of the playoff spots, and they just looked old. This month, NBA betting fans have been treated to the resurgence of the German Moses. A 40 point haul against the Jazz on March 3 sent a warning out to the league. As the month has worn on Nowitzki has looked a lot like the Dirk we all know and love. He hadn’t quite reached the scary heights, that zone where he is impossible to guard, until Monday night. Then the Nuggets were treated to the Dirk show. With 33 points and 11 rebounds, Dirk simply dominated at both ends of the court.

The Mavs lost some big parts in the off-season and frankly looked to be re-building for a big run next season. As it stands, Dallas now looks like the team nobody wants to see in the post-season. Nowitzki’s resurgence is the main reason. With Dirk dominating, space is freed up for the Mavs’ other scoring options. That makes them a horrible team to scheme against.

Did the Lakers win the deadline?
It sure looked like the LA Lakers came out best on the free agency deadline. Last night’s defeat at Houston however left plenty of questions for the Lakers. Fundamentally Kobe Bryant is too controlling on the floor in the fourth quarter. It’s one thing for Black Mamba to want to take all the shots, it’s another one for him to insist on controlling from start to finish of every play. With the pre-deadline Lakers there was some argument for Kobe’s approach but right now he just looks selfish. Kobe needs to show more faith in Ramon Sessions. If the Lakers can’t get Kobe to work with Sessions, their long-term prospects look bleak.

The verdict
The continued road woes of the Lakers stand out for anyone making a pick in this game. Despite going 19-3 at home, Los Angeles only holds the #3 in the West right now due to a 9-15 road record. Ugly doesn’t begin to describe that disparity. Against the Mavs, in this kind of form, it’s hard to see any change from the norm. I like Dirk to have another big night and lead Dallas to the win.

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