Mavs cutting through meat of their schedule this week

Three quality teams. Each one possessing a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate.

That’s the strong challenge the Dallas Mavericks are going up against over the next five days. A challenge that could ultimately vault the Mavs among the NBA’s elite teams, or put them squarely in the category of the also-rans.

The Mavs (16-6) start one of the most demanding parts of their schedule at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they face the Memphis Grizzlies (16-4) at the FedEx Forum in the first leg of a back-to-back. From there, the Mavs will host the up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

That will be followed by a Saturday afternoon game against the free-wheeling Golden State Warriors.

The Grizzlies are tied with Houston and Portland for the second-best record in the NBA, the Pelicans are playing better than their 9-10 mark, and the Warriors have the league’s best record (17-2).

“We’re going to find out what we’re made of this week and that’s the truth,” coach Rick Carlisle said after Monday’s practice. “It’s a very challenging stretch of games.

“It’s a higher level of competition than we’ve been playing on a more or less consistent basis. We’re going to have to be up to the task by being real tight with the ball and not turning it over, we’re going to have to rebound with these big strapping teams, and we’re going to have to get the ball in the hole.”

The Grizzlies are armed with an array of talent, including MVP candidate Marc Gasol. The Pelicans and Warriorshave their own MVP candidates in center Anthony Davis and guard Stephen Curry, respectively.

It all makes for a measuring stick week for the Mavs as they try to move up the Western Conference ladder.

“We haven’t played teams like what we’re about to play,” forward Chandler Parsons said. “Memphis is rolling, New Orleans is a solid team, and Golden State is probably the best team in the NBA right now.

“So this will be a huge week just to see where we stand, and it’ll be a great test for us and what we need to improve on.”

If nothing else, this week affords the Mavs the opportunity to prove they belong among the league’s elite clubs. This season the Mavs are 0-4 against the top eight teams in the West following losses to San Antonio, Portland, Houston and Phoenix.

“We would like to play well against these teams and prove to ourselves and show everybody that we’re one of the top-tier teams,” Parsons said. “To do that we’re going to have to come out here and beat these teams.

“We’re playing good right now, our record is solid. But if you look at the West, it’s so close and it’s so competitive that all these games matter.”

During the Mavs’ recent 4-0 road trip, Toronto and Chicago had rosters similar to what Dallas is facing this week. The Raptors and Bulls were big, tall, physical and deep and gave the Mavs a rough time before Dallas escaped with a 106-102 victory over the Raptors and a 132-129 double overtime win against the Bulls.

“But those games were a while ago, those games were over a week ago,” Carlisle said. “This is a new day, tomorrow’s another new day and we’ve just got to brace ourselves and get ready.

“This is a challenge you’ve got to love.”

It is a challenge that will encompass the next five days for the Mavs.

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Mavs cutting through meat of their schedule this week."