Mavericks Hanging on for Dear Life in the 2022 NBA Playoffs
By Charles Jay
The Dallas Mavericks must have figured that after having taken care of business against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the NBA Playoffs. They had all the capability in the world of getting by the Golden State Warriors and into the NBA Finals. But as BetAnySports patrons know by now, tha has not been the case.
It’s not that the Mavs haven’t threatened, but they have come up short three straight times and now find themselves in a desperate, almost hopeless situation. We don’t have to go over the infrequency of a team coming back from a 3-0 deficit, except to say that it doesn’t happen.
But we’re not betting on a series outcome. We’re betting on Game 4. Can the Mavericks make one last stand?
That is the question as we proceed at 9 PM ET at the American Airlines Center.
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NBA Playoff Picks — Here are the numbers
As posted at BetAnySports on Tuesday, you can see that the Mavericks are actually favored:
Dallas Mavericks -1
Golden State Warriors +1
Over 215.5 Points -110
Under 215.5 Points -110
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NBA Playoff Picks — Let’s talk about Luka
Luka Doncic has averaged 34 points a game in this series (with 40 in the 109-100 Game 3 loss) and he has hit a dozen triples, but that doesn’t mean he has dominated.
People who follow the NBA closely understand that when a team is so overly reliant upon one player, they can extract an advantage by keeping that player off-balance, and could even conceivably force that team to win using contributions by the complementary players.
What the Warriors have done is pay special attention to Doncic, putting a player on him and setting an agenda of not letting him force them into a “switching” situation. Doncic hasn’t shot badly, but we haven’t seen the effect of his all-around game either. In fact, he only has 15 assists in the three games, and has turned the ball over 12 times. He has also gone the entire series without an offensive rebound.
NBA Playoff Picks — Where are the other guys?
We ask that question seriously. Dallas just doesn’t have a lot of scoring balance, and that problem has become exacerbated in this series. Reggie Bullock has shot 30% from the field. So has Davis Bertans. Max Kleber’s shooting percentage has been a microscopic 14.3%. These players have all been contributors in previous series.
The bench has not been heard from in any big way either, aside from some outbursts from Spencer Dinwiddie, who tallied 28 points in Game 3. The philosophy of Golden State has been that they were willing to put the so-called “role” players for the Mavs the chance to become heroes in this series, but that hasn’t happened. It’s just been Doncic and a bunch of guys who may or may not make a shot. And when you have an offense that depends on the three-pointer, you’re a loser if you are hitting only 32.6% of them, as Dallas has.
NBA Playoff Picks — Our verdict
When you consider how well Andrew Wiggins has performed on the defensive end, and then couple that with the abilities of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in that vein, you have too many defenders on the Golden State for the Mavs to deal with. And then let’s add rookie Moses Moody, who was put onto Doncic and pestered him just enough, that allows the W’s more room to take the other guys out of the game. Heck, the Warriors even have the more effective center (Kevon Looney), who has started all three games, shot 78% from the field and pulled down eleven offensive rebounds.
When it comes down to it, if you like the Mavericks here, what you’d be doing is going with that theory that it’s a combination of them being a crew desperate to stay alive and the Warriors taking a breather. Let’s not forget that Golden State could get a lot of rest if they close things out now, and that will carry over for them into the Finals. With the better team, and in the underdog role, I’m content moving with the road team here.
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