The Dallas Mavericks kept their season alive last night, coming out victorious in their Play-In matchup against the Kings. The Mavericks resembled the team Nico Harrison envisioned when he acquired Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic. However, NBA analysts Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson remain unchanged in their stance that the Mavericks are incapable of sustained postseason success.
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Dallas comfortably defeated the Kings by a score of 120-106. Despite being the lower seed and in a hostile environment, the Mavericks elevated their play.
The Kings held a 29-27 lead at the end of the first quarter. That marked the final time they held an advantage over the Mavs. Dallas led by as much as 26 points, due in large part to the stellar play of superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Their new face of the franchise finished with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. His presence on both ends of the court propelled the Mavericks in a manner the Kings had no answer for. Despite the phenomenal performance, Sharpe and Ocho aren’t buying in.
Sharpe posed a question to Ocho and their guest, former All-Star Joe Johnson. He wanted to gauge their thoughts regarding whether this victory served as a redemption for Harrison among fans. Ocho used his platform to send a realistic message to those overreacting to the win.
“All this is for the Dallas fans and the organization for the Mavericks as well is a Band-Aid on a gash,” Ocho said. “That’s all it is. This is what you’re supposed to do to Sacramento.”
Ocho doesn’t believe this changes the reality for the Mavericks because Kyrie Irving remains out for the season with a torn ACL, and that leaves the team without their second-best player. That’s not a favorable position for any team.
Sharpe shared the same sentiment with his cohost. As great a player as AD is, Irving’s void isn’t fillable.
“In the playoffs, you need a guy that you can put the ball in his hands and he can go get you a bucket and it’s nice to have that as a guard,” Sharpe said.
Davis is a capable scorer, but someone will need to put the ball in his hands. As a guard, Irving would already have the ball in his possession. It’s another reason the team thrived under Doncic’s leadership as a scorer at the point guard position.
Dallas will look to prove Sharpe and Ocho wrong in their next Play-In game. The win-or-go-home matchup with the Grizzlies is on Friday, April 18, at 9:30 PM ET. The winner will secure the eighth seed and face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round.
