According to Vegas.com, the Dallas Mavericks odds of their first NBA title happening in 2011 are 18/1. That puts the Mavs behind seven other teams with better odds, three of which are in the West. The Lakers at 9/5, Spurs at 3/1 and the Thunder at 14/1.
So who's willing to take that bet?
The Mavs are currently the No. 2 seed in the West, but Vegas doesn't care; they've seen the Mavs in the playoffs lately. Dallas is 10-17 since the Finals run in 2006.
The reason other teams tend to step up in the playoffs (and the Mavs back down) is toughness and defense. In the 82 game season there are only moments when teams have locked down on defense and proven their toughness.
In the playoffs it's the opposite; every possession is a grind defensively and the Mavs haven't been able to buck the trend, and opposing teams know it.
The elite teams save their bullets for the playoffs, while the Mavs burn their's up winning 50 plus games every year. While 50 plus wins in 11 straight seasons (assuming they can notch another three wins) is impressive, it hasn't translated into playoff success. Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson ju ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Dan Allsup
Dallas Mavericks Odds at NBA Championship in 2011: 18 to 1
March 11th, 2011 by Dan Allsup Leave a reply »
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