The NBA's Eastern Conference has been the dominant conference in terms of attention this season. The East has the LeBron-ified Heat loudly and finally establishing a record worthy of its three superstars. The Celtics have grabbed headlines as they have beaten the Heat and just about everyone else this year.
The Orlando Magic are talked about because with Dwight Howard they are not only a constant threat to win it all, they are the team many are waiting for to establish a rivalry with the Heat. Orlando's recent overhaul is also garnering the headlines.
The Knicks are riding a hot streak and being hailed as the prodigal franchise that will bring the NBA back to American consciousness. The East also has the Bulls, who are lurking with a lot of talent and have what looks to be a possible long playoff run in them.
The headlines in the Western Conference are the Lakers, who are worthy of attention as Kobe Bryant pursues his sixth championship, and Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant has established himself as one of the best players in the game and last year's Thunder vs. Lakers series was one to remember.
But two teams flying under the radar are the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. The NBA season is past the quarter mark and the Mavericks and Spurs are winning without dominating the headlines. How have they quietly put together their big seasons and will they be able to sustain their high level of play through June? And when will ESPN and others start to pay more attention and give the Spurs and Mavericks their due?
Both Dallas and San Antonio are dominating in terms of their records. The way they are playing and how they are winning games indicates that both teams could make long runs in the playoffs. Each team has veteran leadership and intangibles that could mean a ring in June.
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki is having sensational NBA season. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Dec. 6-12. It was the second time in three weeks he won the award. Nowitzki led the Mavericks to a 3-0 record during this time, with wins over Golden State, New Jersey, and Utah. Nowitzki averaged 25.7 points and 9 rebounds per game and shot .700 from the field (18-22 FGs), .667 from three-point range (6-9 3FGs), and .789 from the free throw line (15-19 FTs). Nowitzki received his first Player of the Week for Nov. 22-28. During this time, he led the Mavericks to four wins in five nights.
Dallas has been scoring early and often during the season. With the 103-98 victory over Portland on Dec. 15, Dallas moved to 13-0 on the year when they scored 100+ points in a game. In those 13 wins, Dallas shot .492 from the floor, .360 from three-point range, and .811 from the line.
The Mavericks' offense has not been the only story, however. Often a team that scores a lot gives up a lot of points, but during their 14 100+ games, Dallas held opponents to an average of 94.9 points and .440 shooting. Dallas is proving a team that scores a lot can still play defense.
Dallas is also playing with a deeper bench this season. The current Lakers bench appears fairly deep and the addition of Joe Smith gives them more size, but Dallas has put together a bench that could challenge them. Jason Terry and Shawn Marion have each started multiple games for the Mavericks this season and would probably be starters on most teams.
Dallas is 7-1 on the year when Terry and Marion both come off the bench to score in double figures. The two players have combined for 25-plus points off the bench on eight occasions, including two games in which they totaled 30 points or more together. Terry has scored 20-plus points seven times in 2010-11. Marion has posted two doubles-doubles this season. Terry is averaging 15.8 points (second-highest scoring average on the team), 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 32.0 minutes. Marion is averaging 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game this year.
Dallas has plenty of solid veterans. The Mavericks have three players who rank in the top 10 of active NBA players with the most double-doubles in their careers. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jason Kidd's 478 career double-doubles rank fourth among active players, followed by Marion's 382 career double-doubles (fifth). Nowitzki's 350 double-doubles rank ninth on the current list. Dallas is poised to make a run at a title with its veterans and deep bench.
San Antonio
The Spurs have a long history of domination in the Western Conference. The team's success begins and ends with Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan is in his 14th season with the Spurs and with him, they have compiled the best record in the NBA at 740-318 and a winning percentage of .699. This is the best mark of any team in professional sports during this time period. With Duncan, they have won four championships and six division titles.
This year, Duncan is averaging 13 points a game, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in 29 minutes. He has eight double-doubles and ranks 13th in the NBA in rebounds and eighth in blocks per game.
Manu Ginobli is having the kind of season that is garnering him early MVP mention. He is averaging 20 points, almost 4 rebounds, nearly 5 assists, and almost 2 steals a game in 32 minutes. He is shooting .467 from the field and .374 for the three-point line and .887 from the charity stripe.
Ginobili has scored in double figures in 24 of 25 games, while averaging 5 points higher than his career scoring average. He has tallied 13 20-plus point performances in 25 games this season.
The Spurs are anchored by their coach, Gregg Popovich. He has fourth best winning percentage in NBA history at .675. He ranks seventh in playoffs winning percentage (.606) and is only behind Phil Jackson among active coaches.
This year, the Spurs have been successful this season both at home and on the road. Through the first 15 home games this season, the Spurs are 13-2. The Spurs opened the season with an eight-game road winning streak.
Dallas isn't the only team in Texas with a potent offense. As a team, the Spurs rank first in three-point field goal percentage (.414), third in assists per game (23.7), fifth in points per game (105.8), seventh in field goal percentage (.471), and seventh in free throw percentage (.788). If the Spurs were to continue shooting .414 from the three-point line, it would rank as the second-best in NBA history. From 12/5 through 12/12 this year, the Spurs won four consecutive games by at least 15 points. It tied a team record for consecutive 15-point victories, which had been done three times before.
The Bottom Line
Each team seems poised to make a run to the finals and both have solid coaches, but the Spurs clearly have a Texas-sized advantage in Gregg Popovich. Rick Carlisle is capable of taking a team to the 50-win plateau, but the real test will come in the playoffs. Carlisle's overall winning percentage is .593 and he is .654 since taking over in Dallas in 2008-09. His regular season record is excellent and he has taken teams to conference finals, but has yet to make it to the NBA Finals. Greg Popovich has proven he can take a team to the finals and win championships.
This could be the year Mavericks or Spurs take the Western Conference title from the Lakers. As the Spurs and Mavericks continue to win, the real question is will anybody outside of Texas notice? Is the sporting world watching a repeat of the baseball season when the Rangers found themselves in the World Series and only a handful of people predicted their appearance?
The Lakers resemble the Yankees as the favorites, the Thunder look like the red-hot Rays, and the Utah Jazz look like the reliable and perennial playoff team that is the Minnesota Twins. In the end, the Rangers found themselves the center of the baseball world with the San Francisco Giants and come June, the Mavericks or the Spurs could force the sporting world to book plane tickets back to Texas.
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