Thunder: OKC facing NBA’s best team
The Dallas Mavericks are the NBA’s best team. Sorry, Miami. Sorry, Chicago. Dallas is the NBA’s best team and proved it not so much with its four-game sweep of the Lakers, which certainly is stout evidence, but with its play in the regular season.
The Mavericks host the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals starting Tuesday in Dallas. The Mavs were 57-25 in the regular season, tied with the Lakers and two games ahead of the Thunder.
Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, center, of Germany celebrates after scoring a three-point basket as Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, right, of Spain and guard Derek Fisher look on during the second half in Game 2 of a second-round NBA playoff basketball series, Wednesday, May 4, 2011, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
But Dirk Nowitzki missed nine games with an injury (suffered Dec. 27 in OKC). The Mavs went 2-7 in those games. That, to me, made a case for Nowitzki as the NBA MVP.
So Dallas’ record with Nowitzki was 55-18. That’s a winning percentage of .753. If you want to argue the Bulls, who went 62-20 for a winning percentage of .756, are the better team, I wouldn’t argue much. Chicago had some injuries of its own, but not to Derrick Rose, the reigning league MVP. And the Bulls played in the Eastern Conference, which clearly is inferior to the West in terms of quantity of quality teams.
With Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs had the league’s best record, when adjusted for strength of schedule, and have the best playoff record so far.
Dallas 8-2, Chicago 9-3, Miami 8-3, Oklahoma City 8-4, Boston 5-4, Memphis 7-6, Atlanta 6-6, Lakers 4-6, Portland 2-4, New Orleans 2-4, San Antonio 2-4, Orlando 2-4, Denver 1-4, Indiana 1-4, Philadelphia 1-4, New York 0-4.
So the Mavs have been the most impressive team in the playoffs and were the most impressive team in the regular season, when their star was healthy. And their star is healthy.
Dallas is the best team in the NBA to this point.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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