The Dallas Mavericks may have been defeated on Sunday night by the Phoenix Suns, but the Grizzlies’ 108-106 loss to the San Antonio Spurs guaranteed that the 2011 NBA Champions will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
The Mavericks will be either the 7th or the 8th seed in this year’s edition of the playoffs and will face a daunting task against either the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, or Houston Rockets in the first round.
Despite the tough task ahead of them, former Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki, the Finals MVP of the 2011 playoff run and the best player in the history of the franchise, couldn’t contain his excitement on Twitter after learning that his beloved team was heading back to participate in playoff basketball.
It is certainly a positive step ahead for a franchise that found itself adrift in the late 2010s, looking for a superstar that would help them forward in the post-Dirk era.
They found that star in Luka Doncic, who is averaging 28.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in only his second season in the league at the age of 22.
The Mavericks have six regular-season games left to get prepared for their first-round series, which will begin in the middle of August.
