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Dallas Mavericks: Key Stretches In 2015-16

By Cole Mentzel

Apr 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 26, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the arena before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets in game four of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2015-16 NBA schedule is out and it’s time to start breaking it down. Though the Dallas Mavericks may not have the team they were hoping to have, they still made some good moves by signing Wesley Matthews and Deron Williams. The Mavs will be looking to stay afloat in the playoff race this season and will most likely be looking to snag the 7th or 8th spot out West.

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They will have 17 back-to-backs along with one stretch of four games in five nights. This part of their schedule turned out rather well since those are some lower totals compared to the rest of the league. Those will always be tough to deal with during the season but sometimes other stretches are more important for keeping the momentum of the team going.

Oct. 28 – Nov. 3

  • Oct. 28: @ Phoenix Suns
  • Oct. 29: @ Los Angeles Clippers
  • Nov. 1: @ Los Angeles Lakers
  • Nov. 3: vs. Toronto Raptors

The Mavericks will open up the 2015-16 season with their first real test. Their first two games are on back-to-back nights in Phoenix (Tyson Chandler) and Los Angeles (DeAndre Jordan). After that they will have two days off but will be back in Los Angeles playing against the Lakers. Their home opener features a tough task against a Toronto Raptors team that signed DeMarre Carroll this summer.

It’s always important tot start off well because that it what sets the tone for the rest of the season. The schedule makers were not kind to the Mavs giving them a double-away back-to-back to start the season off but if they can get through it, it will give them some major momentum heading into the months of November and December. Their home-opener on Nov. 3 will be key simply because you have to protect home court, especially the first home game of the year.

Jan. 12-17

  • Jan. 12: vs. Cleveland Cavs
  • January 13th: at Oklahoma City Thunder
  • January 15th: at Chicago Bulls
  • January 17th: at San Antonio Spurs

The next big stretch for the Mavs comes about a month before the All-Star break. The Mavs will play four games in six days against a mix of championship contenders. The first half of the stretch features a back-to-back. The Mavs will see the the reigning Eastern Conference champions at home then immediately travel to OKC for a date with the Thunder the next night. That means Chandler Parsons/Wesley Matthews gets to guard LeBron James and Kevin Durant on consecutive nights.

The next half of the the stretch has the Mavs playing the Bulls in Chicago then waiting a day before ending things in San Antonio. This is arguably the hardest set of games on the schedule for the Mavs this season because of how close all the games are and the fact that no one would be surprised to see any of these teams in the Finals next year. This will be roughly the halfway point of the season, meaning it will be key for the Mavs to take care of business in a tough week against dangerous opponents.

Feb. 21 – Mar. 3

  • Feb. 21: vs. Philadelphia 76ers
  • Feb. 24: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Feb. 26: vs. Denver Nuggets
  • Feb. 28: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Mar. 1: vs. Orlando Magic
  • Mar. 3: vs. Sacramento Kings

You might be looking at this portion of the schedule wondering why I picked this one. The Thunder are contenders and the Kings improved a lot but those other teams aren’t that much of a threat, right? The biggest part of this set of games is that it comes right after the All-Star break and it is made up of six straight home games.

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    • One of the most important stretches of any team’s season is right after the All-Star break. It doesn’t matter if your team had players involved in the events or if everyone got a chance to relax, the post All-Star break slump is something that is very common in the NBA and it can lead to a team dropping in the standings if they aren’t careful.

    It will be a little bit harder for the Mavs having all of these home games. Some might think that’s an advantage but it just opens the door for a team to get way too comfortable. All of those home games against a lot of below-average teams might make the team slow down a little which could hurt their momentum. This is easily the most crucial part of the Mavs’ schedule and they will need to do all they can to make sure they have success.

    After having one of the hardest schedules in the NBA last season, it looks like the Mavs are in for more tough games and stretches. They will get breaks during big days like Christmas but that doesn’t help them escape from other difficulties throughout the year. With a somewhat younger roster, the Mavs will have to rely on their youth and hope their stars don’t get injured. This season could turn out a lot better than expected if the Mavs are able to grind their way through the tougher sections of their schedule.

    Next: Dallas Mavericks: Grading The Offseason

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