The 69th season of the NBA is just days away and the league has served up quite a treat for its opening salvo. The defending champions San Antonio Spurs open their title defense with a meeting with the Dallas Mavericks in a rematch of last May’s epic seven-game playoff clash.
In this first showdown between two Texas giants, who will emerge victorious? Read on for a preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers here.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs Betting Preview
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
When: Tuesday, October 28, 2014, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Dallas Mavericks
After losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of last season’s playoffs, Dallas owner Mark Cuban felt that the Mavericks were just a few moves away from being a legitimate title-contender this season. So it wasn’t a complete surprise that the billionaire owner went to his deep pockets once again to bolster his lineup this past offseason.
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Mavericks made a huge splash even before the draft, acquiring Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton from the New York Knicks in exchange for two second-round picks and point guard Jose Calderon. Chandler was one of the vital cogs of the 2011 championship team and will reprise his role as the anchor of head coach Rick Carlisle’s defense.
The Mavericks weren’t done yet, though. With the departures of Shawn Marion and Vince Carter from their lineup, they decided to sign Chandler Parsons to a three-year $46 million deal to inject some youth to their squad. Parsons was impressive for the Rockets last season averaging 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists and will be a big offensive help to veteran forward Dirk Nowitzki who averaged 27.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season.
With Jameer Nelson also entering the fold, Cuban is optimistic of their chances this coming season. In an interview with the Dallas Morning News, Cuban said, “I try never to get too excited, but I’m always excited. Getting Chandler, getting the Chandler brothers is going to be a big step forward for us. I think we’ve gotten younger, I think we’ve got a team that is very flexible; we’ll be able to do a lot of different things. We’ve got a high basketball IQ. I’m really excited about it.”
His team will be tested right away when they face the San Antonio Spurs on opening night. He will fancy his chances, though, especially with the way they stretched the Spurs in last season’s playoffs. In fact, San Antonio’s +3.4 net rating (offensive rating minus defensive rating) against Dallas was their lowest mark in their title run last year.
The Mavericks are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games dating back to March of last season.
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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
In a recent survey of NBA general managers, they were asked which team they believe will win the NBA championship this season. 46.2 percent of those surveyed picked the San Antonio Spurs to repeat as champions, finishing far ahead of the LeBron-powered Cleveland Cavaliers (15.4 percent).
It isn’t hard to comprehend why the league’s GMs think this way. The defending champions return this season with an intact lineup. This is the same squad that passed the 50-win plateau for the 15th straight time last season. And lest we forget, this Spurs team obliterated the Miami Heat in the Finals last season.
This year, the Spurs will be led once again by their Big Three of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. The three became the winningest trio in postseason history last June with 117 playoff victories to their name.
One of their most memorable victories came in Game 5 of last season’s Finals against the Heat where they combined for 49 points in the clinching game to give the Spurs their fifth title and helped extinguish the pain of their collapse against the same team the year before.
It was Kawhi Leonard, however, who was the real star for the Spurs in that series. He averaged 17.8 points on 61 percent shooting in the Finals and was the primary defender of four-time league MVP LeBron James. His exploits were rewarded as he bagged the Finals MVP honors in that series. At 23, he became the second-youngest winner of that award – next only to his teammate Tim Duncan.
With Leonard still that young, it will be fascinating to see what he can do for the Spurs this season. His status for the opener against Dallas remains in doubt, though, as he’s still dealing with an eye infection. Coach Gregg Popovich has already stated that Leonard will be out for the next 10 days and is expected to miss the rest of the preseason.
Even without Leonard, the Spurs will feel confident about their chances on opening night. The Spurs are 9-1 SU in their last 10 meetings with the Mavericks at AT&T Center dating back to January 2012.
Writer’s Prediction
The Spurs start the season with an emphatic double-digit victory.
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