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Of the biggest NBA clichs to come out the last couple years is that Dallas can get to the NBA Finals if only theyd play a little defense. But to trade for defensive players theyd have to get rid of their offensive ones, and that has happened to a point. Daniels, Howard and Dampier play decent defense, but is it good enough to get Dallas anywhere other than semi-finals exit?

One thing that hasnt changed is their offense. This is still a score-first heavy team, and is at the top-10 in scoring, assists and field goal%. Marquis Daniels and Josh Howard arent on the court to score, but they still contribute in areas that Finley and Keith Van Horn dont. At 97.5 PPG, they havent reached the century mark yet but you can expect it soon. Injuries to Stackhouse and Terry havent hurt them as badly as we thought. Devin Harris and Darrell Armstrong have both done an excellent job replacing him, and Armstrong is one of the best PG defenders in the NBA.

Still, the biggest problem remains the same. They are 9th in Points Allowed, a huge improvement from some of the other Mavs teams in the past. Yet when the 4th quarter comes around, they have serious problems stopping people. They have the aggressiveness down, but Dallas is still weak in several positions. At Center, Dampier is off-and-on on both sides of the floor. Nowitzki is poor guarding people face-to-face, and commonly Daniels and Howard are injured.

While the Mavericks still score, its not without slight concern. Michael Finley and Steve Nash are gone, so Dirk Nowitzki needs to score big throughout the season. Hes done it so far with 26.0 PPG, but even he slows down once in awhile. Dirks shot attempts are often forced and still attempts too many 3-pointers for a Power Forward. Dallas isnt going to provide much support off the bench. DeSagna Diop, Devin Harris and Jerry Powell are getting playing time. Its far too inexperienced to trump powerhouses like San Antonio.

When Stackhouse, Howard and Terry return their bench will be deeper and Dallas scoring will go up. Avery Johnson expresses a defensive emphasis that Don Nelson never did, and its benefiting. Johnson is 30-7 since taking over and Dallas will need that kind record to take control of the division. The Spurs wont relinquish the lead in this lifetime so its 4th place or worse for the Mavs.

So if I was you, I would not go rushing to my online sportsbook to bet on the Mavericks winning a title this year.