Daniel Gafford Agrees with Mavs 'Dark Horse' Title Contender Label: 'We Gotta Be Ready for Everything'

Rookie big man Dereck Lively II believes his Dallas Mavericks are a “dark-horse” title contender, and newly-acquired center Daniel Gafford agrees.

As the new-look Dallas Mavericks attempt to extend their six-game winning streak against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, newfound optimism has spread throughout the organization.

Of course, the goal of every NBA team is to win a championship, but only a handful of teams actually have a legitimate shot at accomplishing that goal. After trading for Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington before this year’s trade deadline, the Mavs believe they are now one of those teams.

"We're the dark horse that everybody doesn't want to look at, but we're in the back of their minds," Mavs rookie center Dereck Lively II said during All-Star Weekend, where he helped his team win the Rising Stars Challenge. "We just got to keep this streak going, stay focused, and get each gameplan done when game time comes."

During an exclusive interview on our a Mavs Step Back Podcast this week, we asked Gafford if he agrees with Lively’s “dark-horse” title contender comments.

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"Oh, for sure," Gafford told DallasBasketball.com. "Like I said, if we just come out with the right mindset every night, one to stay consistent in the areas we've succeeded in and get better in the areas we've lacked in. It's something that can for sure be stood to. I stand on all 10 with what [Lively] said. I love how he talked about us and gave us some type of motivation coming out of All-Star break.”

Although the Mavs are riding a season-high winning streak, Gafford knows that they can’t afford to take their foot off the gas now. With the final stretch toward the playoffs getting underway, and the Western Conference standings being as tight as they are, especially in the No. 5-10 spots, Gafford believes the Mavs are going to be tested by highly-motivated opponents coming out of the extended break.

“Even though we're on a six-game winning streak, it's gonna be a lot of teams, it's gonna be a lot of guys that are gonna come out with their tails on fire,” Gafford said. “We gotta be ready for everything. We gotta be ready for the good, the bad and the ugly, and we gotta be able to get through that as a team.

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“So with what [Lively] said, that all comes with being consistent, that all comes with being able to come out night-in, night-out being there for your teammate, being a good teammate, holding each other accountable, and just playing Mavericks basketball, having fun with it. Doing the things we've done that have got us the wins, of course. And like the last two games, we struggled against teams [Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs] that had the record that they had, but you can't hold that against those teams because they're still NBA teams too. They still have NBA guys too. We have to come out with the mindset of winning."

Nobody is expecting the Mavs to run the table and win all of their final 27 games. There will surely be more losses as the season progresses, but it’s how the Mavs respond to those losses that will determine what kind of team they are when the postseason arrives.

"Frustration is a part of the game," Gafford said when talking about the Mavs having to fight back from double-digit deficits in back-to-back games before the All-Star break. "Adversity, any type of obstacle, that's going to happen throughout the stretch of a game, and I always put myself in position to where I talk to myself to get myself out of it.

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“But you've got guys on the sideline [saying,] 'don't even worry about it! Next play! Next play mentality!' That's what we need to push forward. We can't just hit that hump, stay stuck and wait for someone to come help us. We've gotta get over it ourselves at the end of the day. Because we're out there on the floor. That's just how I think about it. That's my take on it."

One promising sign for the Mavs is that they’ve been able to win all three of their games since the trade deadline despite facing double-digit deficits and having to get the new guys integrated. Gafford has hit the ground running, as he’s averaging 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in those three games. Washington, despite showing his value by doing the little things, has yet to get things going offensively, as he’s averaging 8.7 points while shooting just 40.7 percent overall and 16.7 percent from deep, but those number will surely rise in the coming weeks.

With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving healthy and playing at an All-NBA level, and Gafford and Washington being successful while also having a lot of room to grow, the Mavs will have a legitimate chance to beat any team they face on any given night. The pieces for something special are there. Now it’s just about putting the puzzle together correctly.