The good news for the Dallas Mavericks is that despite the extended absence of Dirk Nowitzki, the team still remains the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The slog, which has also largely been without the services of Caron Butler, who suffered a season-ending injury two weeks ago, has been rough, but the Mavericks built enough of a cushion to stay ahead of challengers like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz.
Mavericks Vs. Spurs: Dirk Nowitzki Remains Out As West Powers Collide
If there is a concern, however, it's that the Mavericks could lose touch of the San Antonio Spurs, currently leading the No. 2 L.A. Lakers for 4.5 games and the Mavs by six games. Is that gap already too large to make up? Dallas has 45 games to catch the Spurs if the battle for home court advantage is indeed feasible; that's plenty of time, but each extension of the gap makes it that much less realistic.
As such, Friday night’s match between the teams could weigh heavy on the race for home court. The Mavericks have a much easier schedule than the Spurs looking ahead, and a big win over the rival could kick start a nice return run for the gates. The problem, of course, is that Dallas is stuck in triage waiting for Nowitzki to come back.
This isn’t like Dirk, to miss all these games. That’s why the knee injury that has him in natty suits has cast such a pall over the team: Nowitzki has never missed this many games in a season. For the absence to come on a sprain, a malady Dirk’s famous flexibility has always batted aside in hours (not weeks) -- it’s completely unfortunate and, to a degree, maddening. The Mavericks had assembled a real contender for the first time since 2007. And this, an unlikely injury to an uninjurable player, happens?
The Mavericks will certainly be engaged in this particular battle in San Antonio, even without Nowitzki. But there’s little question they’ll set forward with a minute voice chirping from the back of their heads: This isn’t fair. This isn’t fair.
The Spurs and Mavericks tip off at 8 PM Eastern on ESPN.
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