05-08-2021, 04:24 AM
(05-08-2021, 03:38 AM)F Gump Wrote: If your goal is simply "avoid the play-in," then yes, it's better for the Lakers to be at the bottom of the ladder.5th is a nice goal sure, but matchups are still extremely fluid, and we can't even say for sure if the 5th seed matchup would be better for us than the 6th seed. The difference between 6th and 7th, OTOH is simply massive this year. 6th seed and higher will essentially get a bye week, while 7th will have to deal with the pressure of winning 1 out of 2 games against other desperate teams just for the chance to get demolished by the 1st or 2nd seed. There's just no comparison between which goal is more important.
But I think the goal should be for 5th, by outdoing BOTH the Lakers and Blazers, and I replied in that vein.
The Mavs ALREADY had some cushion on a struggling LA team (who also has 2 tough games after this one and might not see Lebron play until the post-season), with both a lead in the standings plus the tiebreaker too.
OTOH Portland is only a hair behind the Mavs right now. Portland also has the tiebreaker. Space is needed to stay ahead. A single Mavs loss is enough for the Blazers to pass the Mavs.
Portland also has the toughest schedule by far, so the Mavs just need to keep pace with them while having the easiest.