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Playoff Picture: Dallas Mavericks

By Luke Duffy

Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; The Dallas Mavericks prepare to face the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; The Dallas Mavericks prepare to face the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) and guard Monta Ellis (11) prepare to face the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 114-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (9) and guard Monta Ellis (11) prepare to face the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 114-98. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Why They’ll Fall Short

Despite Rondo being a defensive upgrade over Jameer Nelson, this team still ranks 18th in defensive efficiency. Nowitzki isn’t staying in front of his man anymore, while Ellis doesn’t give much on that end either. It was great for this team to get Chandler, their emotional leader, back within their ranks.

But he’s just not the rim protector he once was. His 11.5 rebounds (which translates to 18.1 per 48 minutes) is still the fifth-best mark in the league, and this team would be lost without him. But he doesn’t have much help around him either, so it’s not all on him.

Their bench isn’t giving them a ton of relief when they come in, they were the 20th-best rebounding unit during the regular season.

There are still some growing pains as this team comes together. Nowitzki will surely have the ball in his hand at crunch time, but if Ellis had the ball would he be able to conjure up something different? Rondo hasn’t look all that interested for parts of the year and his body language has been far from inviting. Offensively he’s struggled to fit in.

The ages of the core players here is a concern as well. We’ve touched on Nowitzki and Chandler, while Rondo hasn’t looked the same since coming back from an ACL injury. He’s getting there though. It means the championship window for this team would appear pretty small. I do like their depth though.

Next: Wing Player's Return From Injury Crucial

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