The road to 50: It is done

[Branduil]

The Mavs made two trades to solidify their rotation, and they're getting healthy-er. After a nightmare stretch they have one of the easiest schedules remaining. I think 50 wins is a very reasonable goal with those things in mind, and would show solid progress for this team. Can they do it?

[KillerLeft]

It’s a long shot, but as you mentioned the schedule gets much better at this point. If they don’t have any NEW prohibitive injuries, I think they have a chance.

[MFFL]

The schedule is easier and the team is finally getting healthy. I imagine that Gafford and Washington's All-Star break mini vacations will be canceled (along with the staffers needed to get them up to speed with the offense and defense)

[F Gump]

The schedule is easier and the team is finally getting healthy. I imagine that Gafford and Washington's All-Star break mini vacations will be canceled (along with the staffers needed to get them up to speed with the offense and defense)

This will not happen. There are no practices or team functions during ASB. They all get a vacation.

[Smitty]

Well I’m already on record for 48-34 in the ‘prediction thread’. The Mavs are currently at a 46 win pace. I think they win their next two at home before the ASB, against the 9-win Wizards and 10-win Spurs. Which will put them on the 48 win pace I predicted before the season.

The TDL trades give them a boost. Health gives them a boost. Remaining schedule gives them a boost.

I think they’re now as good as the ‘20-‘21 WCF team that finished 4th in the conference standings.

So… I think they’ll have the same record as that squad. 52-30!

[SleepingHero]

I need to see how they fare against Washington and the Spurs. Luka led Mavs historically take these type of games off and underestimate their opponents and drop easy wins.

If they can finish these two guys out and head into the ASB with some crazy momentum I'll feel way more confident in this team.

[ballsrchr]

I can't even remember what my earlier prediction was. I'm sure it was optimistic. I'm always unrealistically optimistic. So...of course I'm going to say we'll reach 50 wins. It's just the way I'm wired. I'm a Mavs Homer!

[ThisIStheYear]

50 wins and the 4th seed was my minimally acceptable standard for a Luka team in its sixth season. The majority of teams throughout history in this situation would certainly be contending by now. If you squint hard enough you could call a 50 win 4th place team a contender. The Mavs are due a little luck this season. I’ll bite on the dream, though I don’t think 50 wins will get you to the 4th seed in the West this season, probably 5.

[Branduil]

Gotta finish 11-3 to get there now. The schedule is in their favor but they can't afford to drop a single game against a bad team.

[BigDirk41]

I think 11-3 is absolutely doable with the remaining schedule. I would be really disappointed with anything less than 10-4 looking over the opponents. This is a chance for them to really get hot and move up the standings.

[Halfnir]

DET H
SA A
Houston AH
Utah HA
Charlotte A
Atlanta H
GSW AH
Miami A
Sacramento AA
OKC A

Lots of away games (9A, 5H), esp against the tougher opponents.
My guess would be 9-5 -> 48 wins

[Chicagojk]

Away game against the Spurs (who worry me because Mavs have had their way recently against them) then at home against the Jazz.

But the next 5 games after that are on the road and will factor in heavily where Mavs fall. back to back games against the Jazz (after playing them at home) and then two games at the Kings. Tough to beat a team twice in a row in a back to back. Then at rockets and at Warriors.

Several of those teams are not in the playoffs but 6 out of 7 on the road is a big ask.

[ThisIStheYear]

I think they’ll fall just short of 50 but are better than 50-50 to grab that #6 seed and a very winnable 1st round series.

[KillerLeft]

I think they’ll fall just short of 50 but are better than 50-50 to grab that #6 seed and a very winnable 1st round series.

I agree. 50 on the nose was my prediction, if I remember correctly, but that’s just asking for a little too much consistency, at this point, and from a team that’s allergic to consistency.

[The Jom]

Hardest game on paper is the finale @OKC. But we all know how finales tend to go, when some teams have their playoff spot locked up and others don’t. Could turn out to be the easiest win of em all. Or Mavs could rest everybody and not care. It’s so hard to know.

I’m most interested in Steph, LeBron, KD as 8, 9, 10 seeds. This is a new era.

[myconsumerclub]

Kings Dubs MIA and OKC are the toughest remaining games and I think we can win against them all especially with how the team played against DEN. 

Dubs could maybe get lucky and win one just because we play them 3 times. Tuesday the 2nd we get 2 games in one day. Fun for us but that could really be a tough one on the teams.  GSW need to be beaten badly to demoralize their team into early retirement. Would be nice to somehow knock them out of the play in completely. We play ATL on the 4th and they play HOU on that day then we play the dubs on a back 2 back the next night on the 5th. No advantage really. With no real big 5 on GSW we may get lucky and have our bigs go off and just dominate them. 

Kings could do a split as well. In that first game they are coming in after playing against PHI on the 26th and we had to play the Jazz the night before and then both teams play again on the 29th one more time. If we can sneak out a win because the PHI game takes a lot more out of them and it wears them out more as the JAZZ take less out of us then we both get a few days rest and play each other again so winning that first matchup is a must win. 2nd game we could send a message if we win that one too. JAZZ may be in tank mode for lottery reasons that day and let us take it EZ. 
 
MIA is not as consistent in beating teams this year and we beat them once already but they can sneak up on you so you might want to pray to the basketball Gods that we catch them on an off night plus they play ATL the night before so we are a back to back for them. That is a good thing except we play CHA the night before as well. 

OKC looked easy for Luka and KY to destroy last time we blew them out so I am not thinking they will be a lot of trouble. 2 nights before this game we play DET and they have MIL. We should be coming in after beating DET they may not fair so well against MIL and be way more desperate to win that last game. Or they may opt to rest guys in that last game if it is meaningless.

[myconsumerclub]

winning the next 5 is the most critical remaining stretch of games if you ask me.

In that time frame we need to see the team get its health and its act together so they start to play defense a lot better.

Also it would be nice to see everyone hitting more 3's and gaining confidence like DJJ and PJ.

Then we may go undefeated or at worst just lose 1 or 2 games the rest of the way.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Away game against the Spurs (who worry me because Mavs have had their way recently against them) then at home against the Jazz.

But the next 5 games after that are on the road and will factor in heavily where Mavs fall.  back to back games against the Jazz (after playing them at home) and then two games at the Kings.  Tough to beat a team twice in a row in a back to back.  Then at rockets and at Warriors.

Several of those teams are not in the playoffs but 6 out of 7 on the road is a big ask.

The Kings will be tough to get both at their place. And the Rockets have been lights out winning six in a row and are just 2/1/2 behind GS/LA in the play-in. It's doable, but it'll be a challenge.

[Branduil]

After 4 more wins, now a very doable 7-3 is all they need in the last 10 games to reach 50.

[The Jom]

Yes and that 4th seed is there for the taking!