A Star is Born: Believe the Hype, Luka Doncic is the Future Mavs Fans Have Been Hoping For.

To say Luka Doncic went into his first NBA season with massive expectations would be a understatement. After all he is the reigning Euroleague MVP at the precocious age of 19. Not only that he led his Real Madrid squad to the Euorleague title where he was named MVP again for the Final Four. Couple that with leading Slovenia to it's first European championship in 2017 and Doncic came into the NBA as the most accomplished European prospect ever. It's early obviously, but through his first 7 games, Luka is not only meeting those great expectations, he's exceeding them.

How good has he been, well he's currently averaging 20.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists. So how many rookies younger than 21 have put up those numbers in NBA history? That would be zero*. In fact the only rookies period to put up those numbers would be Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Elgin Baylor and Sidney Wicks, pretty select company I'd say.
Doncic's 31 point outing in Monday's overtime loss was the crowing achievement so far, as he scored nearly at will against a probable West playoff team. He might not be the athletic guy but it hardly matters. He gets to where he wants  generally and if not he can shoot the ball from range with accuracy. That's not even mentioning his ability to pass the ball, probably his greatest trait.

There will be growing pains of course, there always are for young players. For instance Doncic is averaging 4.3 turnovers per game, a number that will surely go down as the Slovenian sensation grows more comfortable playing NBA basketball. But it's amazing how much this mere teenager can do right now against the world's best players. Couple that with a promising second year player in Dennis Smith Jr. and the Mavs are in very good shape in building the core of their next contending team

 Mavs fans have blessed the last two decades by getting to watch the career of one of the NBA's all-time greats in Dirk. Now a new European wunderkind has arrived and he looks as comfortable as he can be in picking up the torch as the face of the franchise.

(*=h/t to Bobby Karalla of Mavs.com for the statistical nugget.)

Mavs at Hawks: Game 4 Preview

The Mavs (2-1) will look for a third straight win tonight in Atlanta against the rebuilding Hawks (1-2). Here's some things you should be looking out for in tonight's game.

• The main story of course is Luka Doncic vs. Trae Young, the battle of the two rookies who were traded for each other other on draft day. So far both have lived up to the considerable hype. Doncic leads the Mavs in scoring with 18.3 points per game. He's also second in rebounding (5.7 per game) and third in assists (4.3 per game). Young leads the Hawks in scoring (23.0 per game) and assists (8.3 assists per game).
• The Mavs lead the league in three points attempts per game with 43.3 attempts which would shatter the team record set last year at 32.8. For perspective in the Mavs first season of 1980-81 they averaged 2 attempts per game.
• Harrison Barnes and Devin Harris remain out with hamstring injuries. Barnes is optimistic that he will be back for Friday's game in Toronto, while Harris is expected out longer.
• While Dirk remains out, the Mavs will see the only player in the league older than the Big German, 41-year-old, Vince Carter. Carter of course spent three years in Dallas (2011-2014). This year he has started in all 3 games for the Hawks, averaging 8.3 points in 19 minutes.
• The Mavericks currently have a winning record for the first time since the end of the 2015-16 season when they were 42-40. They are attempting to start the season 3-1 for the first time since the 2014-15 season. That's a far cry from the last two seasons where they've began the year 2-13 and 2-14. 

DeAndre Jordan Is All The Mavs Could Have Hoped For And More

Three games isn't a very large sample size in the NBA obviously. That being said the first three game of DeAndre Jordan's Mavericks career is everything the team could have hoped for when they signed the big man to a one-year-deal in July, and maybe even more. Jordan of course agreed to sign with the Mavs in the summer of 2015 only to have change of heart days later. Now that he is finally in a Dallas uniform three years later, he is producing as well as any center the franchise has ever had.

Jordan was brought the Dallas to give the Mavs a presence in the middle they've do desperately lacked. On offense his ability as a lob threat and offensive rebounder make him extremely valuable, while on defense his rim protection and athleticism set him apart from more lumbering big men. Through these opening games all of things have come to fruition.

Jordan has recorded double-doubles in each of the first 3 games, the first Mavs player to accomplish that feat since Popeye Jones in 1994. After getting 11 points and 12 rebounds opening night, he has put up monster numbers in both of the Mavericks home wins. Saturday against Minnesota he put up 22 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocks, becoming the first Mav to put up those numbers besides Dirk since Shawn Bradley in 1998. In last night's win over the Bulls, Jordan continued his strong play with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Also most unexpectedly Jordan has been money from the foul line, a severe Achilles heel throughout his career. He is shooting 9-10 for the young season from the charity stripe building on the career high 58% he shot last season. It's not a surprise on the other hand that DeAndre is shooting 70% from the field. His career 67.3% field goal shooting mark is the best in NBA history by a healthy margin. Interestingly enough #2 all-time is Tyson Chandler, the one and only great center in franchise history before DJ''s arrival.  Jordan has also shown impressive leadership skills encouraging and teaching his young teammates on both ends of the floor.

It's very early but the Mavs have to be thrilled with how the partnership between them and the center who once spurned them is going. It's very easy to see a long team deal in the works come next July should this continue throughout the season.

Mavs vs. Bulls: Game 3 Preview

The Mavs will look to win their second straight game at home to start the year when they face a young Bulls team tonight at 7:30 at the AAC. Here's some things to look out for in preparation for the game.

• The Mavs will once again be without Harrison Barnes and Devin Harris as they recover from hamstring injuries. They will also both be out for Wednesday's game in Atlanta. Dorian Finney-Smith will remain in the starting lineup in place of Barnes.
• Luka Doncic will look to build on a 26 point outing in Saturday's win over Minnesota. The 26 points were the second most by a teenager for the Mavs behind Dennis Smith Jr.'s 27 points scored last year against the Spurs.
• The Mavs dynamic bench duo of J.J. Barea and Dwight Powell are both off to fantastic starts. Barea is tied for the league lead in assists at 10.5 per game, while Powell has scored 35 points in 34 minutes of action on 80% shooting.
• Zach LaVine has shined on offense for the Bulls, averaging 31.5 points per game over their first two contests. LaVine was signed to a 4 year, 78 million dollar extension this off-season as the Bulls matched an offer sheet from Sacramento.
• The Mavs dropped both meetings to the Bulls last season, losing 127-124 at home on Jan. 5 as Kris Dunn erupted for 32 points. They then fell 108-100 in Chicago on March 2 as the Bulls finished the game on a 16-4 run. Of course this a very different Mavs team than the one Chicago saw last season. 

My 2018-19 NBA Predictions

West

1. Golden State
2. Houston
3. Utah
4. Oklahoma City
5. New Orleans
6. LA Lakers
7. Denver
8. San Antonio
9. Portland
10. Dallas
11. Minnesota
12. LA Clippers
13. Memphis
14. Phoenix
15. Sacramento

East

1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. Philadelphia
4. Milwaukee
5. Indiana
6. Washington
7. Miami
8. Detroit
9. Charlotte
10. Cleveland
11. Brooklyn
12. Chicago
13. Orlando
14. New York
15. Atlanta

West Finals: Golden State over Houston

East Finals: Boston over Toronto

Finals: Golden State over Boston

Awards

MVP: Anthony Davis

Rookie of the Year: Luka Doncic

Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Davis

Coach of the Year: Brad Stevens

MIP: Jamal Murray

Sixth Man: Julius Randle

All-NBA

First Team

F: LeBron James

F: Giannis Antetokounmpo

C: Anthony Davis

G: Stephen Curry

G: James Harden

Second Team

F: Kevin Durant

F: Kawhi Leonard

C: Joel Embiid

G: Russell Westbrook

G: Kyrie Irving

Third Team

F: Paul George

F: Ben Simmons

C: Karl-Anthony Towns

G: Chris Paul

G: Victor Oladipo

All-Rookie First Team

Luka Doncic

Deandre Ayton

Trae Young

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Collin Sexton

All-Defense First Team

F: Kawhi Leonard

F: Draymond Green

C: Anthony Davis

G: Jrue Holiday

G: Victor Oladipo

Ranking the Dirk Seasons

With Dirk Nowitzki's 21st and perhaps final season fast approaching it's time to look back and rank the previous 20 seasons of his illustrious career.

20. 98-99: Dirk's rookie campaign was far from ideal. The 20-year-old struggled to adjust to the NBA in a 50 game lockout shortened season. For the season he averaged a career low 8.2 points on only 40.5% shooting.

19. 16-17: Nagging knee injuries limited Dirk to only 54 games as the Mavs finished with a losing record for the first time since Dirk's second season. His 14.2 points per game were the lowest since his rookie year. The highlight of the year was when Dirk scored his 30,000th career point on March 7.

18. 17-18: Dirk bounced back from his injury plagued 16-17, playing in 77 games in his 20th year, highlighted by a three point percentage of 40.9%.

17: 12-13: Injuries caused Dirk to miss 29 games at the start of the season as the Mavs missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Dirk and his teammates grew beards until they got to a .500 record, which eventually happened in the season's final week.

16. 99-00: Dirk arrived as a NBA player in his second season, finishing 2nd the Most Improved Player voting and more than doubling his scoring average from his rookie year.

15. 15-16: Dirk led the Mavs in scoring for the last time at 18.3 points per game as the Mavs made the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 years, losing to the Thunder in 5 games in the first round.

14. 14-15: Dirk made the 13th and final All-Star game a memorable one by finishing an alley-oop off a Stephen Curry pass. A promising start to the season for the team was done in my the ill-fated trade for Rajon Rondo.

13. 11-12: The Mavs championship defense didn't go as planned as they lost Tyson Chandler in free agency and the trade for Lamar Odom ended up being a disaster. On the bright side Dirk was a third team All-NBA selection, his 12th (in a row) and final All-NBA selection of his career.

12. 03-04: A weird year featuring a team heavy on offense but lacking on the other end of the floor. Dirk was named 3rd team All-NBA and led the NBA in points per game in the playoffs but the Mavs lost to the Kings in 5 in the first round.

11. 13-14: Dirk and the Mavs bounced back from missing the playoffs in 2013 with a 49 win campaign and a 12th all-star nod for Dirk. At 21.7 PPG, Dirk would top the 20 point per game barrier for the last time in his career.

10. 00-01: Dirk became a star as he was named 3rd team All-NBA despite being snubbed as an All-Star, leading the Mavs to their first playoff appearance in 11 years. During those playoffs the Mavs would beat the Jazz in the opening round before falling the Spurs, despite 42 and 18 from Dirk in the final game.

9. 07-08: After the disappointing playoff loss the year before, Dirk bounced back just fine, making a 7th straight all-star trip and making 2nd team All-NBA. Unfortunately another first round exit from the playoffs, this time to New Orleans, ended the season.

8. 01-02: Dirk made his first career All-Star game as the Mavs made the second round yet again, as Dirk dominated Kevin Garnett and Minnesota in the opening round. Dirk's 9.9 rebounds per game would tie a career high that he equaled the following year as well.

7. 09-10: Making an  All-NBA  team for the 10th straight year, Dirk led the Mavs to 55 wins and the #2 seed in the West. However one final playoff disappointment, a first round loss to the Spurs, would have to be suffered before a championship would finally come his way.

6. 08-09: Dirk was named a first-team All-NBA player for the fourth time in 5 years and led the Mavs past the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the Nuggets in the second round. Dirk incredible play in that Nuggets series was even more impressive considering the tumult happening in his personal life.

5. 02-03: What a year it was for the 24-year-old before a knee injury forced him to miss the final 3 games of the Western Conference Finals. Dirk would lead the Mavs to a 60 win season, tied for the best mark in the league, highlighted by a 14-0 start to the season. In the playoffs Dirk would lead the way in game 7 wins over the Blazers and Kings.

4. 04-05: Now without Steve Nash for the first time in his career, Dirk took his game to an entire new level, making first team All-NBA and finishing 3rd in MVP voting. Dirk increased his scoring average from 21.8 points the year before to 26.1 points per game, the second best mark of his career.

3: 06-07: The MVP season. Dirk had a regular season for the ages, leading the Mavs to a 67-15 record as he joined the ultra-exclusive 50-40-90 club, shooting 50.2% from the field, 41.6% from three and 90.4% from the free throw line. Unfortunately the playoffs were a different story as the Mavs were stunned by the #8 seed Warriors, crushing their chances of redeeming their previous year's Finals loss.

2: 05-06: After a regular season that saw him finish 3rd in MVP voting for a second straight year while averaging a career high 26.6 point per game, Dirk would take it up yet another notch in the playoffs. After sweeping the Grizzlies in the first round, the Mavs would take their down their arch rivals, the Spurs, as Dirk scored 37 in a game 7 win on the road including the clutch 3 point play that forced overtime. In the conference finals against the Suns, Dirk was brilliant again, scoring 50 points in a key game 5 win. The season would end in heartbreak however as the Mavs blew a 2-0 Finals lead to the Heat.

1. 10-11: Things finally all came together as a brilliant playoff run resulted in the Mavs finally being crowned champions as Dirk cemented his legacy as one the game's true all-time greats. There were so many memorable moments from the sweep of the Lakers to the destruction of Oklahoma City, highlighted by perhaps the best game of Dirk's career in game one as he went 12-15 from the field and 24-24 from the line for 48 points. In the Finals Dirk's owned crunch time, first by leading an improbable game 2 comeback capped by hitting the game-winning-layup. Then he once again took over late in game 4 despite playing through illness. Than in the deciding game 6, Dirk struggled through the first half before scoring 18 points in the second half as he finally captured the one prize that had eluded him.