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Hollinger’s NBA Division Previews: The Rockets should rule the Southwest

The Mavericks’ post-Dirk rebuild still looks half-finished, but the pieces they’ve already accumulated may be enough to propel the Mavs back into the postseason. The Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis combination is the obvious headline, but Dallas has sneakily acquired several high-value second-line players – guys like Dwight Powell, Max Kleber and Delon Wright – who significantly improve its projection.

Those three aren’t household names, but their analytics suggest they’re more valuable than many brand-name starters. Even with a conservative projection for Porzingis, this team appears massively deeper than Portland and potentially packs more top-end talent than San Antonio. Plus, they have Boban. Everyone loves Boban.