ESPN Personality Has Mavericks as a Top Five Team in NBA

Analysts remain high on the Mavericks following their 2024-25 campaign

Keenan Womack | Sep 21, 2024

May 26, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and guard Kyrie Irving (11) react in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game three of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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Dallas Mavericks

ESPN personality Brian Windhorst recently did his NBA team rankings, and the defending Western champion Dallas Mavericks were amongst his top five entering the 2024-25 season. The other teams on the list were not surprising.

The defending champion Boston Celtics took the top spot in the ranking after a dominant season and five-game Finals victory over Dallas. Given they return all of their key players essentially, Boston's spot as the top team in the NBA will remain unchanged until further notice.

Second is the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose addition of Alex Caruso in the offseason in exchange for Josh Giddey as well as their signing of Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein makes them a formidable opponent in the West.

Coming in third is the Denver Nuggets, who just re-signed guard Jamal Murray to a 4-year, $208 million max extension to keep their corps together. Despite losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the offseason, center Nikola Jokic still looms large as one of the best players in the league.

In fourth place is the team Dallas defeated in the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves, whose corps of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid gives them a great chance to once again make a run at the title.

Fifth is the Dallas Mavericks, with the star-laden backcourt of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will once again help the team compete for a chance to repeat as the best team in the West.

There are a few interesting things about this list. The first is that four of the five teams on the list are from the Western Conference, even though the defending champion Celtics hail from the East. The fact that Dallas defeated two of the four teams ahead of them during their playoff run last season also stands out because it demonstrates that the Mavericks' run was no fluke.

It is a bit surprising that Dallas isn't higher on the list, but it's still a good sign that they're getting some level of respect after last year's performance. Hopefully, the Mavericks end up higher on the postseason rankings.

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Published Sep 21, 2024

KEENAN WOMACK

Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.