Second best in the West?

[Mavdog]

Or are the Mavs now able to claim, with reason, that they can be considered the best?

After last night's running and gunning win over the Clips ("Just like an old ABA game" says Big N), Dallas is a solid second to the Kings (that's second in the league, not just the west). The Mavs ability to compete against the Kings, and to win (in their place no less) is proven. San Antonio? Maybe not proven yet, but it is clear that the Mav team that lost in the playoffs to the Spurs last year is not the same team in those Dallas unis this year. Minnesota? Nah, the Mavs back to back proved that. Anybody from the east? forget it.
Oh yeah, the Lakers. The mavs came close, but not a win. No matter what the recent record, to argue that there is anybody else but the defending champions are number one is not realistic. Who has shown that they can beat the Lakers 4 out of 7? It is hard to believe that the Lakers will keep playing like they have the past few weeks, and the real Lakers team will eventually show up.
Remember tho that it was that real Lakers team that Dallas played so closely earlier in the season, and it is the less than dominating Lakers team that Dallas plays next. The mavs have an outstanding opportunity to make a statement, and I expect them to be up to the task.

This upcoming game determines if we can proclaim Yes! these Mavs have climbed the mountain and reached the top. the worst to the best, won't it be sweet?

[LandoCaly]

Yes it is sweet! I'm still in sort of a disbelief after watching this team lose for 11 years. Watching Finley get triple-teamed, the boos for Nash, and hearing the pick of Nowitski gettin' trashed is still very fresh in my mind.

I think it should be obvious that the Mavs will finish 1st in the West, with the way they are playing now, sans an injury to Dirk or Nash. The real question is how far can this team go in the playoffs?

Minnesota - we have a mental edge over them and would beat them.
San Antonio - they're not as good as last year. We'd beat them too.
Sacramento - a tough series, but they're not as good on the road. If we get home court, we split with them at their home, and beat them in six.
Lakers - The toughest challenge. I still think we're one player away from being able to outscore them in a 7 game series. I hope that Nellie makes one move that clears out the dead weight and brings in another solid contributor.