DALLAS _ The Dallas Mavericks knew this wasn't going to be easy. The Southwest Division is stacked, and according to many league executives, including Mavericks' owner Mark Cuban, the Western Conference is the deepest it's been in nearly 20 years.
It's been almost a week since the start of the NBA season, and the Mavericks are 0-3. Already, this team is heading down a familiar path that could very well doom its postseason chances for the second season in a row.
Every team in the NBA wants to get their season off to a strong start, but the returning members of this roster are acutely aware of the consequences they will likely face if the losses start piling up in October and November.
"I think we've got the hardest schedule in the NBA in the first 30 games," Dallas Mavericks' forward Dirk Nowitzki told reporters following the team's 107-91 road loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. "Hopefully we'll win enough games to stick around for the first 30 games. But it's not going to get any easier."
Last fall, the Mavericks dropped their first five games of the season, and things got worse in a hurry. By the end of November, the team was 2-17, including a stretch where it lost eight games in a row. During the 2016 portion of the regular season, Dallas only managed to win back-to-back games twice.
During February and March, the team almost climbed back into the playoff hunt. However, they couldn't overcome their slug start and missed the playoffs.
Last week, the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings, two teams that many thought might finish below the Mavericks in the standings, both came into American Airlines Arena and took close games. On Saturday night, the Rockets outplayed the Mavericks even though All-Star guard Chris Paul was out of the lineup due to a lingering knee injury.
Other than a strong fourth quarter against the Kings, forward Harrison Barnes has been inconsistent at best. The talented wing is averaging 17 points per game, but is shooting just 33 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range.
Meanwhile, Nowitzki is averaging a mere 7 points per contest, and only manged to score one basket (2 points) in 18 minutes of play against Houston.
The team is also dealing with the injury bug. Shooting guard Steph Curry is out indefinitely with a stress reaction in his left tibia that occurred before the season opener. And after a strong debut, rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has missed the past two games due to knee swelling related to an anterior cruciate injury he suffered before college. Backup guard Devin Harris, whose brother died from injuries in a car accident last week, has also missed time.
"I'm not going to make any excuses, it's a hard schedule for everybody," Dallas Mavericks' head coach Carlisle told reporters after his team's loss to the Houston Rockets. " ... Everybody's got to play, everybody gets banged up ... (and) unfortunately, guys miss games. We've just got to keep slugging."
