Plenty of fans and observers across the NBA thought the Dallas Mavericks had made themselves into championship contenders when they traded for Kyrie Irving in early February.
At the time, they had one of the top six records in the Western Conference and seemed to be an iron-clad lock to make the playoffs.
But in a matter of weeks, they went from a playoff lock to a play-in tournament hopeful, and now they must win on Friday night against the Chicago Bulls or they will be officially eliminated from play-in tournament contention.
As a result, their chances of making the playoffs have fallen precipitously in just under two months.
A huge change in nearly two months 😳
(h/t fivethirtyeight, uncoverednba/IG) pic.twitter.com/NAobjPy8dJ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 7, 2023
It has been an embarrassing swoon for a team that possesses two of basketball’s most dangerous performers in crunch time.
Irving has hit many clutch shots over the years, including the decisive shot in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, while Doncic is a tough competitor who always wants the ball with a game on the line.
Yet Dallas has gone 7-13 since the All-Star break, and it looks like the team’s season is about to end in total disaster.
While they has become a potent offensive outfit, they have been anemic on the other end, ranking 23rd in defensive rating.
They gave up Dorian Finney-Smith, perhaps their best frontcourt defender, in the trade with the Brooklyn Nets that brought in Irving.
What has transpired since looks like another black mark on the record of Irving, whose teams have underachieved with him ever since he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017.
