Dallas Mavericks Complete 2016-17 Preview

The Dallas Mavericks were a split-second away from a winless cameo in the 2016 NBA postseason.

During their playoff opener, the Mavs scored a franchise playoff-low 70 points and suffered a 38-point shellacking at the hands of the third-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 2, incredibly, went to Dallas 85-84, but only after Steven Adams’ potential game-winner was waved off after video review.

“Very proud of our guys and the way they responded after one of the most disappointing games in franchise history,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said, per Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s a group with a lot of pride, obviously a lot of resilience. We had some amazing performances.”

Carlisle’s use of “amazing” could have used an asterisk.

Dirk Nowitzki finished with more shots than points. Leading scorer Raymond Felton missed two free throws in the final seconds and had more turnovers than assists. If anyone amazed, it was Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook shocking the hoops world with an anemic 15-of-55 showing from the field.

That’s what it took to get Dallas a one-point, replay-overturned victory. In the series’ other four games? The Mavs were manhandled 476-384.

Thus, the 2015-16 outfit was a playoff participant in title only, riding the weary shoulders of 38-year-old Nowitzki and kept at arm’s length by the NBA’s elite. The Mavs went a dismal 2-22 against the top four seeds from each conference, a record that motivated major personnel changes.

Biggest Offseason Move

The old adage “If you can’t beat ’em, grab as many of their discarded parts as possible” seemingly directed Dallas’ offseason. The Mavs, like most teams, struggled with the Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors last season, so Dallas acquired 40 percent of their starting lineup.

After being pushed aside in Golden State’s Durant pursuit, former top prospect and lottery pick Harrison Barnes landed in Dallas on a four-year, $94 million deal. Even in the NBA’s new economy, that seems a stiff price for a player with career per-game averages of 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

But the Mavs see ample growth potential as the 6’8″ swingman climbs the offensive totem pole.

“I think his game is going to expand significantly,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban told reporters. “You know, you can only do what you’re asked to do in the NBA, and so he’s going to get asked to do a whole lot more with us. … I’m not expecting miracles in Year 1. There will be an adjustment period, but he’s definitely got the skill set.”

Dallas’ second dip into the Bay Area was prying loose former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, who posted last season’s best defensive real plus-minus, per ESPN.com. The Mavs haven’t fielded a top-10 defense since 2011-12, but they’re hoping the switch from Chandler Parsons and Zaza Pachulia to Barnes and Bogut can snap that skid.

The rest of their free-agent money was largely spent on their own—re-signing Nowitzki, Deron Williams and Dwight Powell—but they also inked low-cost deals with Seth Curry, Quincy Acy and 28-year-old summer league standout Jonathan Gibson. Felton, David Lee and JaVale McGee found new homes in free agency.

Rotation Breakdown

Carlisle shouldn’t have much trouble setting his starting five. The trio of Nowitzki, Williams and Wesley Matthews posted a plus-6.2 net efficiency rating together last season, which would have …

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