Optimism seems to be sky-high in certain parts of Dallas after the Mavericks pulled off a 119-109 win in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. It only reduced the deficit to 3-1, but that didn’t stop one media member in Dallas from proclaiming that the Mavericks are set to turn this series on its head.
Greg Riddle works for the Dallas Morning News, and he was very bullish about the Mavs’ chances of creating history by becoming the first team to overcome an 0-3 deficit. He seems to believe that no one can close out the Mavs and that the Warriors will find that out just like the Phoenix Suns did:
The @warriors collapse has begun. The Mavericks are going to become the first team in NBA history to overcome an 0-3 deficit.
No one can close out the Mavs, no matter how many chances they have. Just look at the @Suns and how they fell apart when needing just one more win.
— Greg Riddle (@DMNGregRiddle) May 25, 2022
“The @warriors collapse has begun. The Mavericks are going to become the first team in NBA history to overcome an 0-3 deficit. No one can close out the Mavs, no matter how many chances they have. Just look at the @Suns and how they fell apart when needing just one more win.”
It is quite the bold statement to make, considering that teams that have gone down 0-3 in a series are historically 0-146. The Mavs did well to win a game and avoid the sweep, but it is pretty much over. The Warriors, with their championship pedigree, are a completely different animal than the Suns, even though Phoenix did run away with the top seed in the NBA this season.
That said, Dallas overcame just an 0-2 deficit against Phoenix, and that is completely different from going down 0-3 and having to win four in a row. They had some margin for error against the Suns, and there is none here. It has been a great season for the Mavs, and it provides hope for a great future, but at present, they are just not there yet when it comes to winning a title.
