Week 2 Rankings (previous rankings in parenthesis)
ESPN (Marc Stein): 3rd (6th): “Even if you think they should have won in San Antonio, it’s hard to quibble too much with the Mavs’ start. Dirk and Monta have it going already, Tyson Chandler looks right back at home, Dallas manufactured a nice win in New Orleans … and please tell me you’ve seen the new Run DMC video.”
SB Nation (Drew Garrison): 4th (9th): “Give Rick Carlisle personnel to work with and he’ll make great things happen. The Mavericks have the best offense in the NBA, putting up 118.8 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com. Six players are averaging double-digit scoring, and Dirk Nowtizki, Ageless Wonder, is averaging 18.7 points on 55.8 percent shooting.”
CBSSports (Matt Moore): 4th (7th): “They would be No. 1 if not for the loss to the Spurs on opening night. They’ve looked terrific in terms of how their team has adapted. Dallas has balance on both sides of the ball, speed, savvy and versatility. Expect big things from them.”
NBCSports (Kurt Helin): 6th (6th): “Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki have quickly found their groove from last season while Chandler Parsons is averaging 18.8 a game and shooting 44.4 percent from three. Their only loss was a tight one on the road to the Spurs. Still questions about their defense, but they are winning.”
Yahoo Sports: (Mark J. Spears): 8th (8th): “Dirk Nowitzki needs 105 points to pass Hakeem Olajuwon to become the top international scorer in NBA history.”
Peachtree Hoops: 5th : “After a tough loss to the Spurs, the Mavs took care of business in their home opener and on the road.”
Fansided (Gerald Bourguet): 3rd (6th): “To be perfectly honest, the Mavericks should be 4-0. They led for most of their season opener against the San Antonio Spurs and were it not for Chandler Parsons’s underwhelming 2-for-10 debut, the Mavs would’ve found a way to get a big road win against a Spurs team playing without Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills. But since that loss, the Mavs haven’t wasted any time letting the world know they’re a legitimate contender in the West with three straight wins.
The Mavs are averaging a league-high 111.8 points per game, they thrashed a competitive Jazz team, they downed the Pelicans despite a monster game from Anthony Davis and they looked like world-beaters in the second quarter Monday night. They slightly came back down to earth as Boston rallied to make it a shockingly close affair that came down to the wire, but Dallas showed poise down the stretch and escaped with the win. It’s that kind of veteran experience that the Mavs will be counting on come playoff time, especially with J.J. Barea officially back in town.”
NBA (John Schumann): 7th (5th): “Dirk Nowitzki’s mid-range game is in mid-season form. He shot 20-for-28 from between the paint and the 3-point line last week. Tyson Chandler’s defensive impact has yet to be really felt, but Chandler Parsons recovered from his poor showing in San Antonio to score 41 points against the Jazz and Pelicans, while the Mavs’ bench additions made impacts as well.”
Lakers Nation: 3rd : “Simply put: The Mav’s are stacked. Dirk is playing at a high level once again and the team was built for him. Bringing back Tyson Chandler is everything the team needed defensively. With Jameer Nelson and Monte Ellis in the back court, instant offense shouldn’t be a problem for this squad.”
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