The Dallas Mavericks are already four games into their schedule and they continue to prove to fans that they have what it takes to return to the NBA Finals in June.
Throughout Dallas' four games to begin the season, they have found themselves with an impressive 3-1 record including a sweep in the team's first back-to-back series over the season. The first of two games on Dallas' back-to-back stint included a gutsy win over the Utah Jazz, while the second concluded with the team beating the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference Finals rematch.
The Mavericks' win over the Timberwolves was gritty in its own right. Not only did the team suffer two injuries that could have been season-defining, but one of them was superstar Luka Doncic. After limping into the locker room before halftime, Doncic stepped onto the court to start the third quarter after what was thought to be a freak injury by many fans.
Doncic not only returned to the game and played a huge role in Dallas' 120-114 victory in Minnesota, but he hit another iconic dagger that left Timberwolves fans with their jaws on the floor.
Mavericks' early win over Timberwolves will be huge for playoff seeding
This season, the Mavericks will likely be competing for one of the top four seeds in the Western Conference and will be joined by the Timberwolves. The two teams will play each other only three times this season with their next head-to-head matchup being on Christmas Day.
With the Mavericks getting an early season win over the Timberwolves, it could pay high dividends in the team's quest for a top-four seed assuming the two teams finish with similar records. While the Mavs still need to win one of its two remaining games against Minnesota, the Mavericks have positioned themselves early to win what could be an important regular season series.
As NBA fans have come to find out, playoff seeding can be the difference maker in teams making it deep in the playoffs or losing disappointingly early in April or May. While there are only eight teams who advance into the playoffs for each conference, all eight teams are jockeying back and forth at the end of the regular season to see who can get better matchups during the first round.
Last season, the Mavericks lucked out and earned the fifth seed in the West which granted them a first-round matchup against the LA Clippers in which they would win in six games. One major reason the Mavericks were able to capture the fifth seed was due to the team's regular season series wins over multiple franchises including the Phoenix Suns.
Dallas would finish with a similar record as the Suns but due to a regular season series win over the team in February, the Mavericks were able to comfortably sit in fifth place in the West at the end of the year.
There is still plenty of basketball to be played this season with 78 games remaining on the Mavericks' schedule, but if the first four games have proven anything to fans, the Mavericks have what it takes to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference. Dallas' early season win over Minnesota proves
