Very vulnerable Mavs?

In thinking about the Jazz easily dispatching the Warriors and securing a spot in the West finals, I thought about coach Avery Johnson's comments about Golden State being the only first-round opponent that could derail the Mavs. That might be true, but so what?

If the Mavs had drawn, let's say, the Clippers or Lakers, sure, they could have taken them out, but does anyone now think they could've defeated Utah?

It's another bad matchup for the Mavs. A physical, rising true point guard in Deron Williams; a low-post monster in Carlos Boozer; a dynamic, quick, long-armed defender in Andrei Kirilenko to antagonize Dirk; and a 7-foot, dead-eye 3-point shooter in Mehmet Okur.

It all sounds to me like another recipe for disaster for the Mavs. The truth may be the Mavs had already mentally checked out by the time the playoffs came around. Maybe they really did peak too early in the season and had nothing left for the playoffs.

Regardless, this Mavs team wasn't winning anything this season, no matter the playoff matchups.  The best-case scenario would probably have been a second-round elimination ... at the hands of the Jazz.

-- Garza, Mavs Lite

Comments

[Dave]

I think the Mavs have finally exercised all of their Finals demons.
It's now time to start over and win this thing.

There is no more pressure from the media to win a title.
There will be a new flavor of the month in the Fall NBA predictions (Utah, Golden State?)

It's time to focus and be the underdog again.

[Cynthia]

There's no way to know if Utah would've beaten the Mavs or not. Personally, I think the Mavs would've won. And I think it would've been an awesome series along the lines of the Spurs/Mavs series from last year. But you never know and will never know, so what's the point in speculating about it now?

[Tha Case Mob]

I don't think the Jazz would have had it so easy against the Mavs. Boozer would be a load down low, for sure, but the Mavs' have legit shot blockers in Diop/Dampier that would frustrate him. I'll give you Williams over Terry ... he's proven that the talk about him not being as good as Chris Paul as a farce.

Josh Howard probably would have tormented the Jazz in the series. I'd see the Mavs winning it, 4-3.

[aaron]

i don't think you should be so rash and say that the mavs were on their way out. the only team we got swept by in the regular season were the warriors. iirc we beat or tied all of the other top seeded playoff teams in the playoffs during the regular season.

[Mike]

Yes, the Jazz would have been tough on the Mavs. They will test the Spurs but will lose in 6. All that said, it is time to bury this season. Enough with the funeral or the woulda, coulda, shoulda.. The Mavs are done... Get ready for Spurs-Pistons II.

Go! Spurs! Go!