Dallas Mavericks Tickets

Dallas Mavericks 2010 Playoffs Preview The Dallas Mavericks have turned it up a couple of notches ever since making a big deal just before the trade deadline and have come into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Owner Mark Cuban is never one to stand pat or avoid a potential risk, and he traded away forward Josh Howard to acquire Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from the Washington Wizards.

After a short acclimation period, the Mavericks took off with the two new starters. Haywood has given the team a low-post presence and solid rebounder and defender, which had been a major hole for Dallas.

Butler has been re-energized by the change of scenery and being on a title contender and is playing much more like his All-Star form of a couple of years ago. He's an unselfish complimentary scorer who fits in well and doesn't always have to have the basketball to be happy.

Dirk Nowitzki is the team's top scorer and rebounder, although the coaching staff would still like him to hit the boards harder than he does. Jason Kidd leads the team in assists and is the undisputed leader.

Head coach Rick Carlisle has emphasized defense with a Dallas team generally known as being soft. It has also helped that the team went out and got Haywood and also brought in Shawn Marion.

The defense has shown signs of improvement, and it might just make the difference in how far the Mavericks will go in the playoffs.

One area of concern is the bench, which is not nearly as deep as the team would like. If any of the team's star players get into foul trouble, it will be a significant problem.

Dallas is playing very good basketball at the right time of the year. There are a number of tough teams in the Western Conference, but the Mavericks have a good chance of reaching the NBA Finals.