Are the Mavericks the BEST SLEEPER PICK in the West? 👀 + Zach Lowe 🗣️ ‘OKC is FOR REAL’ | NBA Today

Are the Mavericks the BEST SLEEPER PICK in the West? 👀 + Zach Lowe 🗣️ ‘OKC is FOR REAL’ | NBA Today

Then in Dallas Luca and Kyrie combined for 70 against the Suns none pretty here I mean the transition finished from Irving late switching hands righty finish okay Kyrie take a look at this uh okay he was in his bag he was and the Mavericks have ripped off seven straight

Wins since Irving returned to the lineup they’ve jumped up to sixth in the Western Conference playoff picture as you can see here so this is what it looks like the play in picture out west as of now the Pelicans and Mavericks they’re currently just above the mix

They’re looking to stay there and then the next four teams are all within five games of six with the Warriors holding on to that final playin spot but things are tight Zack low it feels like we haven’t given the Mavericks enough love recently what’s the biggest reason that

They are surging up the standings right now look all the attention is on the trades and they made great trades for their team this year longterm we’ll see but the biggest reason is that Kyrie and Luca have meshed even better than even the most optimistic person could have

Projected Kyrie is played at an All-Star level when he’s been available they’re cooperating in more picking roles good luck guarding that Luca is coming to the Forefront of the MVP race this offense is borderline Unstoppable when both of them were on the floor and now they have

A lot of different looks they can go to they can have a dive man like drik Lively or Daniel Gafford and last night we saw them go with maxi Clea at the five shooting all around Luca the floor wide open nothing the Suns could do it’s

Pretty safe to say I think right there top four in the Western Conference seems locked in the Wolves the Thunder the Clippers the nuggets in some order in some way shape or form but outside of that quartet perk are the Mavs the most dangerous lurking team I’m leaning that

Direction the Pelicans still scary the Lakers but I will say this Luca is the most dangerous player in the Western Conference when it comes down to a guy that could kill you in any given series or send you home like we made I heard Jason kid get so much you know like

Backlash when he mentioned Luca in the conversation with LeBron Jordan and Magic right but when you think about what Luca has been doing to the league he has been making love to everybody he’s come across to he has been giving them that work averaging 34 points a night averaging eight rebounds nine

Assists and when I think about it I’mma say this again I said it plenty of times he is the LeBron J he is LeBron James minus the athle athleticism look uh the Mavs are in Texas right yes you say number one on the charts thank you there

Is a dark horse in Texas and it’s absolutely the Dallas Mavericks they got better at the interior you said you were leaning well we know if you lean you going you going go all the way over so I think he’s going he’s basically saying the Mavs watch out for them and Zach

You’re absolutely correct it’s the Chemistry Between the back court I think we heard a lot of narrative about Luca and people not wanting to go to Dallas guess what we’ve seen them have beautiful chemistry Kyrie was in his bag in his element Luca was on the bench clapping him on there’s something

Surging there’s something swirling they have the interior boost they have great guards and we know what happens come playoff time he he fears no man there is not quite the Celtics level of if this is a championship robust team but they do need to have postseason success

That’s the bar for the Dallas Mavericks we’ve seen this in the regular season we need to see it in the postseason so the Timberwolves at a top the West the two teams that are chasing them matched up in Oklahoma City last night the Clippers 36 and 17 third in the Western

Conference the thunder right be right in front of them second in the Western Conference here this was a great game in the first half chanet it was but there’s a reason why SGA Shay gilis Alexander is number two right now in MVP favorites because no one can move him off of spots

First he gets the rim here he gets some separation he has 40 30o games this season again 40 30o games this season this is his year they have a ride this is the beginning of the third quarter here the thunderly by Wen oh my goodness he’s dropping Paul

George finds Isaiah Joe for the dunk now the Thunder lead by three and they’d start to roll and watch this play right here I mean come on now all NBA like he keeps climbing from year to year sorry Norm in the midrange aive Ribble little jumper woo all right the Thunder lead 83

To 75 this is late in the fourth here but look how active they are defensively typically the Clippers are this way they found a closer in Jaylen Williams and Williams look at him here hyping up the crowd let’s take a listen to Ty L after the

Game CH I think 71% from the Fe of the third something something from three was that them making shots or that just your defense not being what it needed to be a combination of both and so what needs to be done now going forward to I guess try

To get your defense back again maybe not play OKC again how about that you don’t do you no but but the playoffs are coming so Zach this young Thunder Squad only one game out from first in the west how seriously should we and the rest of the league be taking Oklahoma City

Here if you don’t take them seriously what happened to the Clippers last night is exactly what’s going to happen to your team they’re going to run you out of the gym with Steals and block shots at the rim and sgaa putting on a show and putting your guys butts on the floor

With his step backs and his crossovers this team has the number one point differential in the Western Conference number one number two in the entire MVP NBA they have an MVP candidate they have depth we barely even seen Gordon Hayward he debuted last night we’ll see more of

Him I know they’re an experience they’re not a good rebounding team some big guys can push ched around a little bit but they make up for that by blocking shots getting Steals and scoring scoring scoring you better take them seriously they’re for real for real and at what

Level though Zach like for real far as a their cealing is a first round exit second round exit or they actually go to the Conference Finals like what’s serious we know they higher cealing than that perk first first round exit I got them a higher cealing if they’re in the

Conference Finals I would not be surprised one bit I know you would we disagree that’s fine well I would I would and I actually don’t see them getting past the the second round to be honest and it’s because the lack of experience that they have and especially

With their rotation players you look at Luke darts and SGA yes they have playoff experience I’m a huge fan of SGA right I think he’s a bright young superstar in the making I think jayen Williams he is going to be has a he has a beautiful

Future in front of him but that Playbook gets that much thicker in the postseason and right now Jaylen Bronson I mean Jaylen Williams he is the number two option on this team do you know what the Scouting Report is going to do to him you know he’s is going to have to go

Through his Nicks and bruises throughout the postseason get that postseason experience we saw with the Sacramento Kings last year you remember how great they were in the regular season putting the world on notice one second and then not this good not this good zag Zach you

Need interior man when it comes down to the postseason in the west what happens if they have to go against Anthony Davis who by the way they last three games his last three games against him 31- 14 27- 15 26 and 11 what happens when he have

To go they go against joic they still look I’m not saying the future is not bright but I’m not ready to put that type of crown on them yet so you’re saying the ceiling is a first you saying first round I said second round okay second round exit for you they are

Chasing though they’ve been impressive in the yeah they are impressive look at the standings right the the Timberwolves they still sit at the top but then you can kind of see how the rest of the the conference is shaking out here the Wolves they’re looking to win a playoff

Series for the first time since 200 [Applause] four NBA is

Chiney Ogwumike, Kendrick Perkins and Zach Lowe join Malika Andrews on NBA Today to discuss if the Dallas Mavericks are the best team in the Western Conference outside of the Top 4, if Luka Doncic is the most dangerous player in the West and the validity of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s success.

☑️ Subscribe to ESPN+: https://plus.espn.com/
📱Get the ESPN App: http://www.espn.com/espn/apps/espn
🏀 Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2yxs3Og
☑️Subscribe to ESPN on YouTube: http://es.pn/SUBSCRIBEtoYOUTUBE
☑️Watch ESPN on YouTube TV: http://es.pn/YouTubeTV