Mavericks are virtual lock for No. 7 seed in playoffs
Barring a major collapse, the Dallas Mavericks will enter the upcoming playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.
That will pit the Mavericks in a best-of-seven first-round series against the No. 2 seed, being decided among the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs.
And none of those matchups, on paper, is favorable from the Mavericks’ standpoint.
The Mavericks were 1-3 against the Rockets this season, 1-3 against the Grizzlies, 1-2 against the Clippers and 2-2 against the Spurs. Dallas closes the regular season at home against the Blazers, who are 2-1 against the Mavericks.
With only 2 1/2 games separating the No. 2-seeded Rockets and the No. 6-seeded Spurs, the Mavericks know they’re not in a position to start preparing for one particular opponent in the playoffs.
That’s probably why Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, “I don’t like to talk about future [playoff] matchups. I’m more focused on what we can do to get ourselves playing better.”
The Mavericks have been faltering lately, having lost five of their past seven games. More alarming for the Mavericks, they are only 26-22 since acquiring Rajon Rondo in a Dec. 18 trade with Boston, including only 7-10 since the talented point guard was involved in a heated argument with Carlisle during a Feb. 24 home game against the Toronto Raptors.
Carlisle made no big deal about Rondo playing only seven minutes in the second half during Thursday’s 108-101 loss to Houston after playing 16 very effective minutes in the first half.
“Just the way the game was going,” Carlisle said. “At one point, [I] felt we needed a little more shooting in the game. Just a coach’s decision.”
Rondo had eight points, four rebounds and six assists in the first half against the Rockets when he was 4-of-6 shooting. In his short stint in the second half, he missed his only field-goal attempt and didn’t have any points, rebounds or assists.
Meanwhile, small forward Chandler Parsons will be re-evaluated Saturday after he suffered a right knee injury at Indiana on Sunday. Parsons played Tuesday at Oklahoma City, but he left midway through the third quarter in Thursday’s loss to the Rockets after experiencing soreness in the knee.
The Mavericks (46-30) play the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at American Airlines Center, and it’s unknown if Parsons will be able to play. The Warriors have the NBA’s best record at 62-13 and are 3-0 against the Mavericks this season.
The Mavericks want no part of slipping to the No. 8 seed and having to face the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs.
“They might be playing the best basketball in the league right now on both ends,” center Tyson Chandler said. “We’ve got to do a good job of containing their transition and trying to slow down their shooters.”
One shooter the Mavericks hope to slow down is guard Stephen Curry, who is among the favorites to win this year’s Most Valuable Player award. Curry scored 51 points in a 128-114 victory over the Mavericks on Feb. 4.
Despite Curry’s exploits, forward Dirk Nowitzki said the Warriors are more than an offensive juggernaut.
“I think the fact that’s overlooked is they’re very, very good on offense, but I think they’re the No. 1-ranked defense [in defensive efficiency] as well,” Nowitzki said. “They work hard, and they’ve got great length on the perimeter, too.
“That’s another team that can switch pretty much anything and present tough matchups with their length on the wings.”
It’s also a team the Mavericks don’t want to face in a playoff opener.
Playoff tickets
Single-game tickets for the Mavericks’ first two home playoff games go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at the American Airlines Center box office, at mavs.com or by calling 214-747-6287. There is a limit of four tickets per game.
Dwain Price, 817-390-7760
This story was originally published April 3, 2015 at 6:46 PM with the headline "Mavericks are virtual lock for No. 7 seed in playoffs."