Don’t look now but the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are coming in hot. I wish I was joking, I really do. Being an avid Miami Heat fan, I am not too fond of this little nine game winning streak they have going. Being that just a few weeks ago, they were 11-30 and primed to get the likes of a Lonzo Ball or Malik Monk talent, to now being just 3 games out of the ever irrelevant 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. I don’t care how bad the Cavs look, the Cavs are still the Cavs, no thanks I’ll take a stab at the lottery.
I smell something fishy with the Miami Heat. It’s too good to be true, the Heat roster is just so deprived of talent they give significant minutes to the likes of Rudy McGruder, Luke Babbit, Wayne Ellington, and Dion Waters. Oh, Dion. You may be fooling some guys, but not me pal. Although he has been lights out lately, averaging an unimaginable 23.6ppg over the last seven games. Not only is he scoring, but Dion seems to be nailing daggers night in and night out, whether it’s the Brooklyn Nets or the Golden State Warriors, he’s been cash money. I’ll give credit where credit is due, but that doesn’t mean I have to buy the product, because I’m not. Dion’s career can be summed up by “I’d rather go 0-30 than 0-9 because you go 0-9 means you stopped shooting. That means you lost confidence.” Even though this is originally Kobe’s, Dion embodies this to the fullest. When he’s making shots everyone loves him, when he’s missing (which is usually), we just shake our heads. Maybe he continues this streak, maybe he doesn’t, but someone will buy in and throw a ton of money his way. No, thanks, I’m good.
Heat fans shouldn’t be too excited, he won’t be on the team next year, and might as well tank and build around the talent they have. They have a solid young nucleus of talent with Hassan Whiteside, Justice Winslow, and the up and coming Tyler Johnson, who’s game I really like, with a solid point guard in Goran Dragic. You hate to say you want them to tank, but it’s better off if they have a good lottery pick as they won’t get past the first round if they make the playoffs. Some good things from the Heat of late, let’s wait and see how this one plays out.
Let’s shift our attention to the Western Conference, where the Mavericks have won four in a row and nine of twelve and are playing some really good basketball. The win streak isn’t alarming but the quality of wins is what speaks volumes. Back to back wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, that warrants attention. Dallas at one point had the worst record in the NBA this year, that’s bad. Now they’re sitting just two games out of the 8th in the West, which is even more laughable then finishing 8th in the East. Golden…you get my point. Nonetheless, they look really good and have some emerging stars and not a bad roster on paper either. When healthy they have the likes of Deron Williams, Wes Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, and Andrew Bogut starting with key players to their recent success like rookie Indiana product Yogi Ferrel and the always forgotten about Seth Curry.
Curry dropped 24 points 5 assists and 10 boards Sunday verse the Spurs and added 16 against the Cavs. Averaging just under 18 per game over the last five, must be nice to be a Curry. I don’t know what the Curry’s are eating but I know I want some. The under sized Ferrell currently on a ten-day contract is just playing straight out of his mind, dropping 22 points in the first half alone Friday night verse the Blazers and going a ridiculous 9-11 from Curry range. Yes, this is the same Yogi that was cut by the consensus worst team and disaster of a franchise Brooklyn Nets. However, I’ve always been a fan of Yogi great shooter and a tough hard-nosed player just doesn’t have the size at 6’0 180lbs. These guys have been big time in The Mavs recent success, and you know who hasn’t gotten enough love this year either? Harrison Barnes, after such a pitiful Finals performance, most wrote him off, myself included. Yet Barnes responds big time sneakily averaging 20.4ppg on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and has remained one of the sole constants in the Mavs lineup this season. I don’t see them continuing at this clip but I’m pretty confident they’ll grab that eight seed in the West which isn’t exactly gravy, but considering they started 2-13, a nice rebound for a team that really isn’t as bad as their record suggests.
Neither of these teams are even close to contenders, but fans should be encouraged by recent success after such pitiful starts. If I had to buy one I would buy the Mavericks as they have more proven talent to boast with some young up and coming players. As I said before I’m not buying what Dion Waiters is selling, he just chucks up shots and prays they go in. Nonetheless, two teams to keep an eye on down the stretch as we approach the NBA All-Stark break.
