When a team “has something to prove” it is more often than not just a nice euphemism for “there is no good reason to expect this team is any good”.
It sure seemed to be the case with the Dallas Mavericks coming into this NBA season — Dirk Nowitzki has something to prove. Or he is just old.
Deron Williams has something to prove. Or he just is not good anymore.
Wesley Matthews has something to prove. Or his ACL is shot.
It all really depends on how generous you want to be about it.
The Mavericks were one of the last teams into the Western Conference play-offs last season and were unceremoniously knocked out in an uncompetitive series with the Houston Rockets. In the summer, with seemingly everyone around them getting better, they lost Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis and Al-Farouq Aminu.
Then Dallas suffered a high-profile failure to sign DeAndre Jordan. They turned to the magic beans approach to plug the gaps, bringing in Matthews (hurt), Williams (washed up) and Zaza Pachulia (average).
By the end of it all, they certainly had something to prove. Or maybe they were just a bad team.
Or, then again, maybe not.
[Jonathan Raymond: Exciting times in the rising Eastern Conference particularly compared to the wild West]
With the rest of the West stumbling over themselves, Dallas have stood out as a beacon of stability to start the season. They are, you might say, proving something.
After a worthy win over the Utah Jazz on Friday, following a big comeback win over the tough Boston Celtics away on Wednesday, the Mavs have won six in a row. At 9-4, they own the West’s third-best record.
Those magic beans, and a sharp-as-ever-looking Dirk, have Dallas looking like at least a comfortable play-off team. There are not really any new tricks to this old dog, but across the board the Mavericks are simply playing smart, solid basketball.
The Mavs are 11th in points per 100 possessions, at 102.0. They are ninth in points per 100 allowed, at 99.0. Their resulting +3.0 net rating is fourth in the West.
Nowitzki, 37, is scoring more points (18.6 from 17.3) and grabbing more rebounds (6.8 from 5.9) per game than a year ago, in slightly fewer minutes. He is shooting a ridiculous 53.3 per cent from three and by some advanced metrics (23.8 PER, .236 win shares/48 minutes) so far looks his best since about 2008.
He looks more comfortable playing within himself at this age than he did last season. His shot looks a bit more sure, his collection of mid-range moves looking practically second nature. So much for being old.
Williams, 31, has seen his fortunes revive a bit after a miserable last two years in Brooklyn. He has flashed some spryness working in the short-to-mid range, and his shooting percentage (43.3) has recovered a bit from a ghastly 2014/15.
Matthews has been healthy and productive, justifying the team’s faith in signing him despite his injury. His game is still coming back, but he offers Dallas a great upside as he returns to form.
Pachulia, meanwhile, looks like he is in the midst of a breakout campaign at 31. The Georgian centre is doing a fine Chandler impression, scoring his most points per game since 2007 and approximating Chandler’s defensive value, for about $8 million (Dh29.4m) less than Chandler is making in Phoenix.
There are still issues confronting this Mavericks side — while they have great guard depth, their frontcourt, despite the impressive contributions so far of the young Dwight Powell, is thin.
Matthews and Chandler Parsons, also returning from injury, are still far off their peak. Their plus-2.2 points per game differential is only sixth in their conference, which suggests they might have been at least a little lucky so far.
But those are addressable issues, and they can confidently bank the wins they have already earned.
Dallas are playing a cohesive, functional style. They have an identity.
“The guys that we have in this locker room really know how to play,” said Pachulia after Friday’s win. “Unselfish guys, and I definitely enjoy it.”
With room to improve, and in a conference where plenty of supposed contenders are tripping up, this is a fine position to be in right now.
Maybe that is the thing about having something to prove — at least it means you have something.
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