How Mavericks tanking two games last season helped them get to 2024 Western Conference finals

The Dallas Mavericks tanked the final two games of last season, which is why they’re in the Western Conference finals right now. It’s not the only reason; you can point to the Kyrie Irving trade and the deals to bring in PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford at the deadline this year as important touchstones, too. But that tank job was the start of a chain reaction that got them here because it landed them Dereck Lively II. 

A year ago, the Mavericks were still mathematically in the running for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference. They were one game back of the Thunder for the No. 10 spot with two games left to play. And with OKC holding the tiebreaker, they needed to win out and for the Thunder to lose their last game to a Grizzlies team that didn’t play a single starter. So yeah, they had a chance, but not really. To add even more context to the situation, the Mavericks had a top-10 protected pick in the 2023 Draft on the line, and had they made the play-in that pick would’ve likely fallen out of the top 10 and been sent to the New York Knicks. Weighing both scenarios, the Mavericks punted the last two games by starting guys like Frank Ntilikina and Davis Bertans. They lost both, improving their odds of keeping their first-round draft pick in June. 

The Mavericks were heavily criticized for the decision. My CBS Sports colleague Brad Botkin called the tanking “shameful.” In a season where you trade for Irving to compete for the postseason only to wave the white flag, I get how that is an awful look. But two things can be true: the Mavericks can be smart for prioritizing keeping a draft pick, while also being a disgrace for intentionally trying to lose, which is the exact opposite of what sports are about.

But had they not tanked, Dallas wouldn’t have been able to draft Lively with the 12th overall pick, and if they didn’t have him, the Mavericks wouldn’t be in the Western Conference finals right now. Entering the draft, Lively was seen as a raw prospect in need of some refining, but possessed stellar athleticism and length,…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/how-mavericks-tanking-two-games-last-season-helped-them-get-to-2024-western-conference-finals/

Author : Jasmyn Wimbish

Publish date : 2024-05-23 19:12:26

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