Dallas Mavericks: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason

1. Playoffs are closer than people think

The Dallas Mavericks were 18-40 and well out of reach of the playoff race when Mark Cuban made his infamous tanking comments. He was fined $600,000, the most in his 18+ years as the teams’ owner.

But that wasn’t the whole story, because at the time of the comments, according to 82games, Dallas had a 70 percent fighting loss percentage (8-28). Fighting losses (the amount of losses that were within five points in the final five minutes) are indicative of how competitive a team truly is despite their record.

This is a testament to head coach Rick Carlisle for getting the most out his players. Teams with high fighting loss percentages also tend to win more the following season.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Although they have lost key contributors and the Western Conference has gotten even stronger, the influx of talent the team has gained over the course of the offseason mean the Mavs will stay in the playoff race for a majority of the season.