12-26-2020, 02:58 PM
(12-26-2020, 11:25 AM)SleepingHero Wrote: This is what scares me the most. Next ten games in order:
@LAC, CHA, MIA, @CHI, @HOU, @DEN, ORL, NOP, @CHA, @MIL
6 road games. 4 games against final hopefuls (LAC, MIA, DEN, MIL). A wildcard in Houston, and the rest against teams that SHOULD BE wins.
There's a lot of travel in that schedule too. NBA kinda fucked the Mavs over. I'm not confident against any of these teams save maybe Charlotte.
It's a punishing schedule, no question. I guess the moderately good news is that some of these teams are undergoing struggles of their own, and may be far from their best (just like the Mavs). For example, I could see Houston being anywhere from awesome to a debacle on any given night.
With the short offseason/preseason, the compacted schedule, and the virus not expected to be under control before the summer, I have a sense that this may be a very unpredictable season. Maybe filled with more injuries than usual, absences due to illness, and maybe postponed games. Being a lockout-style year, we may see more games than usual where the teams don't play well due to the sheer exhaustion of it all.
If the Mavs can get and stay healthy (a big if), they could stand a better chance than it might appear. Or, maybe I'm just grasping at straws. Anyway, I agree that the first ten games present a grueling opening, and the Mavs are going to have to play better to get a few W's on the board.