Game 74: Dallas Mavericks (35-38) vs. Orlando Magic (35-38)

[bubbler86]

Well, it's nice to see that at least one fan doesn't care that we aren't getting Cooper Flagg.

Of the Mavs' remaining schedule, the Bulls game, the two Clippers games, and the Lakers game (yes, even that - Luka's revenge game) are losses. Probably also the Grizz, too, if they have a chance at the 4 seed. There's no way the Mavs can lose against Brooklyn or Toronto. Atlanta is the question mark. So the Mavs are looking at a 38- or 39-win season - way too high for a team that quite desperately needed a serious chance at the top of the lottery. Absolutely every single iota of need and desire to make the play-in should have gone completely out of existence with Kyrie's injury.

Assuming they did not lose out or were close to it, which I thought was a crazy thought/prediction that the guys would not try, they were never going to have a better chance than 3% or 4.5% for #1, so we are talking a difference here of ~2-3%.   Now, if we are talking top 4 vs. Flagg, then yes they could have won some and still been able to get into the 14% range vs 5%, but Flagg was always a miracle lottery pick pipe dream, in my opinion.