The Mavericks have sent a message to the rest of the NBA with their recent win streak. The new trade additions have made them a dangerous contender. The biggest reason is team defense. The Mavs have been holding a majority of their opponents under the century mark. The lynch pin in this defensive revelation has been the interior defense of Brendan Haywood. His inside presence is basically a stop sign for the quick penetrators. When a team improves its defense in multiple areas, it’s not unusual that the threat of a shot-blocker has been added. The second reason is the play of the wing defenders in Shawn Marion and Caron Butler. They are both big athletic defenders that can make you pay on both ends of the court. These guys make it so whenever Jason Kidd gets one of his timely steals, it’s almost an automatic score on the other end. Those easy buckets end up being the difference in close games and have really paid off during the win streak. The defensive potential of this team also has the Mavs veterans re-energized on that side of the ball. “We can match up with pretty much anybody,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “We’re long now.”

Upcoming Opponents:
3/5 vs Sacramento Kings – The Kings are a young team with a rising star in Tyreke Evans, but Forward Jason Thompson will still be out for this one.

3/6 at Chicago Bulls – Derrick Rose might drop 50 on the Mavs but they should still win this one.

3/8 at Minnesota Timberwolves – The Mavs should be looking to get some revenge on the Timberwolves after beating them in Dallas earlier this year.

My prediction for this stretch: 3-0