Mavs fans have tons to be proud of 

It seemed like nothing went the Mavericks way this series.

From the KP ejection, the Luka ankle sprain, and then the KP injury; the team just had some rotten luck. Couple that with the fact that they were matched up against the leagues deepest, most talented squad and you would have had the recipe for a short series.

But thanks to an incredible spirit, toughness, and relentlessness, they made the Clippers sweat. That disposition starts with your teams best player and trickles down to the rest.

So this season and series are something all MFFL’s should feel proud of. It is a great sign of things to come for a young, blossoming team.

Luka Doncic is a championship centerpiece 

I’m not sure if this is some grand takeaway, but in the NBA there are rules to the hierarchy. For young stars, you have to validate and punctuate your brilliance in the postseason before being anointed.

This series it was Luka’s turn and man did he deliver. He tallied a pair of 40-point games, one being a 43 point, 17 rebound, 13 assists masterpiece. He is the youngest player ever to make a game-winning shot at the buzzer and is one of only two guys averaging north of 30 points per in the postseason. The other? Michael Jordan himself.

And this was against one of the best defensive wing tandems ever seen. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the best duo of stoppers this side of Mike and Scottie and Luka consistently gave them the work.

If you’re a Mavs fan, you got what you came for. They were never supposed to beat this team, but Luka, if only for a moment, made you believe they could.

That’s what superstars do.

This team can contend as early as next season

This year was nothing more than a trial run. The beginning of a potential beautiful partnership with Luka & KP.

But after Luka’s rapid ascension and putting a scare into the Clippers, the burden of expectations will come. That’s means the Mavericks have some tough decisions to make.

As it stands, this is not a championship caliber team. If Luka & KP get even better, they might not have to make a major move to reach contender status.

However, the likely scenario is you see some shuffling of the pieces. This team needs toughness, defense, and another creator and they will be on their way.

That means you might have to say goodbye to some fan favorites…That part is never easy. And sometimes it’s the wrong decision to cash those value guys in for a big piece, but as it currently stands this team needs an upgrade to it’s talent pool.

I suspect Donnie, Mark, and Rick know this. Look for the brass to be very aggressive this offseason because if they press the right button, they might just mess around and be in the hunt next year.