Game 31: Dallas Mavericks (19-11) vs. Phoenix Suns (15-14) | 8:00pm CST

[KillerLeft]

I will say this is the only time I have ever felt in the Luka era that his current team as assembled could survive without him for a bit. 

The frustrating flip side to that coin is that this is the only time I have ever felt in the Luka era that his current team as assembled could actually win a championship...with a healthy Luka, which they're not going to have. Can they maintain a top 4 seed without him for this extended period? Is he ever going to be healthy this season? If he does get healthy, will he have enough runway left to get in shape and find his rhythm? If he can do those things, will there be enough runway for the team, with many new parts, to reach elite chemistry and cohesion? I'll admit falling victim to a growing skepticism about some or all of that, though I'm fighting against it. 

But the worst part for me is that it's starting to feel like the ticket buying Mavs community is paying Luka to rehab for whatever the next big Slovenian national team event is. I know it's not like that, but that's what it's starting to feel like.