Report by Chip Crain
Chip Crain takes a weekly look at the NBA teams in the Southwest Division - Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs - and breaks down what happened the week before and what to expect in the week ahead, as well as injuries and trades.
Recap Rewind: Dallas finished the season with a big win over New Orleans (111-98) but has to be concerned about the way they are entering the playoffs. Losses to Portland (105-108) and Seattle (95-99) made the win over the Hornets mandatory to avoid playing the Lakers in the 1st round. The back to back losses after clinching a playoff spot took the luster off the run to the playoffs when the Mavs won @ Phoenix (105-98), vs. Seattle (99-93) and Utah (97-94) in a row to clinch a playoff spot.
Notable News: Dallas had been struggling against teams with winning records heading into the last month of the season but has finally discovered how to defeat those teams. In the last two weeks Dallas has a 4-2 record against teams with .500 or above records including a huge win against New Orleans that propelled the Mavs into the playoffs. The other wins were against Golden St., Phoenix and Utah. The losses were to the Lakers and the Blazers who managed to finish above .500 but still missed the playoffs in the tough Western Conference.
Fast Forward: Dallas faces New Orleans in the toughest matchup of division rivals in the first round of the playoffs. New Orleans was on top of the conference rankings until the last week of the season and Dallas had the best record in the NBA last season. Experience favors Dallas but the Mavs have struggled since making the big trade for Jason Kidd. New Orleans is younger and playing better but doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience among their key players.
SOUTHWEST DIVISION REPORTS
Dallas Mavericks/Houston Rockets/Memphis Grizzlies/New Orleans Hornets/San Antonio Spurs