The Dallas Mavericks have done it. After being touted as team that might possibly go all the way this year, the Mavericks somehow fumbled the bag hard. Pairing up Kyrie Irving with Luka Doncic seemed like a brilliant plan by Mark Cuban and his team, but it backfired on them.
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When the Mavericks traded for Kyrie, they were the 6th seed with a 28-26 record. Doncic was having an incredible offensive season, averaging 33.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. People expected this pairing to go a long way. However, the last 27 games changed everything.
The Mavericks lost 17 out of those 27 games, and ended up falling down to the 11th seed. After the 115-112 loss to the Bulls tonight, they have been eliminated from the playoff/play-in contention.
This loss almost seems like something the Mavs front office had orchestrated to protect their Top-10 pick in the 2023 Draft. Mark Cuban’s face at the end of the game gave it all away.
Mark Cuban smirked as Luka Doncic and co. got eliminated from the playoff race
The Dallas Mavericks rested four key players ahead of the must-win game against the Bulls tonight. One of them was Kyrie Irving. After that, they pulled Luka Doncic out of the game after the first quarter. Even after all that, the Mavericks were down just three points and had two chances to tie the game.
Mavericks with the two consecutive bricks to lose against the Bulls pic.twitter.com/b31baZyPUn
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) April 8, 2023
Mark Cuban is an owner who likes to be involved with his team. We have seen him courtside, reacting a lot of times frantically. After the two missed shots, while Cuban acted distraught, the camera also caught a shot of him smirking.
Mark Cuban lets out a smirk as Mavericks end their season pic.twitter.com/Q9GGwWSxRz
— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) April 8, 2023
In case you’re wondering what could be the reason behind his smirk, here it is:
Why was Mark Cuban glad after the loss?
With the loss tonight, the Mavs have now broken the tie for the 10th in the lottery odds.
Mission accomplished for the Mavericks, who blew a 13-point halftime lead and had to sweat down the stretch before losing to the Bulls at home.
Breaks a tie for 10th in lottery odds and eliminates Dallas from play-in contention.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 8, 2023
This means that they will probably get to keep their Top-10 pick in the 2023 draft, instead of giving it to New York. Heading into their final game against the Spurs, we can expect the Mavs to rest all their starters again.
If Dallas wins against San Antonio Sunday, the Mavericks could wind up tied with both Oklahoma City and/or Chicago, which would put them in a position where a random draw would determine whether they keep their pick or send it to New York (it is top 10 protected).
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) April 8, 2023
A loss on Sunday will help them solidify their chances at keeping the Top-10 pick, and that is what Mark Cuban and co. are looking for.
