So, here’s the tea, sports fans: Despite snagging Kyrie Irving just before the trade deadline, our beloved Dallas Mavericks failed to even make it into the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs. Yup, you read that right. Luka Doncic and his crew were officially ousted from the play-in tournament last Friday night after they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, with the final score sitting at a disheartening 115-112. Cue the sad trombone sound effect.
As you might expect, the Twittersphere was ablaze with chatter, and let’s just say Dallas’ season isn’t being hailed as anything short of an absolute trainwreck. With many fans pointing the finger at the apparent inability of Doncic and Irving to work together effectively, it’s clear that the disappointment runs deep. One particularly memorable tweet featuring a waving white flag summed up the general mood surrounding the Mavs’ elimination from playoff contention.
But you know what they say – when one door closes, another opens. Or, in this case, when the Mavericks flounder, the Oklahoma City Thunder get to shine. Yup, the Thunder managed to secure their spot at the play-in tournament by claiming the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Not too shabby, considering they’ve been languishing at the bottom of the standings for the last two seasons. Talk about a Cinderella story in the making!
Oklahoma City’s victory over the Utah Jazz last Thursday already set the stage for the Thunder to have their fate firmly in their own hands come Sunday’s regular season finale. But with the Mavs’ aforementioned loss against Chicago, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the rest of the squad can now breathe a little easier, as they no longer need to win their final game to snag a play-in spot. It’s official: The Thunder are in, and the countdown to the play-in tournament has begun.
But, hey, let’s not be all doom and gloom for our pals over in Dallas. After all, it’s only basketball, right? (I’m kidding – we all know it’s life.) Here’s hoping that this is just a minor bump in the road for the Mavs, and that they’ll bounce back next season. In the meantime, grab some popcorn, and let’s all get ready to cheer on the teams still in the running as they face off in the play-in tournament. It’s bound to be one wild ride!