Mavs GAMEDAY Donuts: Lakers Rising, Warriors Reeling, Dallas ... Ready?

Mavs GAMEDAY Donuts has LeBron and AD in town, and some questions: The Lakers are Rising, the Warriors are Reeling, and Dallas is ... Ready?

DONUT 1: PLAYOFF HOPES BOOSTED? On the afternoon of Game 1, DallasBasketball.com's Matthew Postins wrote a very thoughtful and very well-received piece on how this year's Dallas Mavericks will, in the end, not quite be ready to participate in the 2019-20 NBA Playoffs.

I say "well-received'' because it was so well-done, not because y'all agreed with his conclusion.

And now maybe Postins will be demanding a re-write.

DONUT 2: CURRY DOWN The Warriors were one of the teams many of us penciled in as a playoff team in the West this year, even as the dynastic Golden State problem has been stripped of greatness by free agency and injury.

But now, Steph Curry is down with a broken hand. What's that going to mean? Two months out, maybe?

And suddenly, there might be a vacancy in the NBA West Playoff race.

DONUT 3: MAVS MOVE-IN? The Mavs as a team to fill that vacancy? This can't just be about the immediate emotion of it all; it's got to be about the numbers, too.

Our man Dalton Trigg is good at the emotion and good at the numbers, and he'll write later today here about whether the Curry loss can be Dallas' playoff-hopes gain.

DONUT 4: INJURY OPINION SIDEBAR By the way: No, we never exactly "root'' for the other team to sustain injuries. But ... given that injuries are part of the game, I'd just as well they happen to the other team, at times that are fortuitous to me.

The Mavs play against the Warriors on November 20, December 28 and January. 14. And Seth might be the only Curry to participate in the games? If that helps Dallas' chances, good for Dallas.

And for those of you who insist, "I'd rather beat 'em at their best'' ... Nobody remembers how valiantly you fought against a great, healthy team. Everybody remembers who won ... no matter how that win was obtained,

DONUT 5: ALL-STAR GAME SIDEBAR Luka Doncic more likely to make the All-Star Game because Steph won't have experienced an All-Star first half, or maybe because he's still not healthy enough to participate by that time?

Good. Luka to the All-Star Game is good. How he gets there is immaterial.

DONUT 6: MILE-HIGH UPSET The Mavericks on Tuesday accepted and overcame the challenge of playing at Denver, recording a 109-106 upset while moving to 3-1 on the young season. (Matt Galatzan's game story here.) A key? The Other Guys, as Dallas finished with 61 bench points ... to just 22 for the Nuggets.

What can The Other Guys (the "Bench Mob,'' whatever) do against a Lakers team that has players like Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green as supporting-cast members?

DONUT 7: LAKERS TONIGHT It's a national TV game and an 8:30 tip and there will be lots and lots of brand-new, just-out-of-the-bag Lakers jerseys at the AAC. MFFL will want to match their passion, while also acknowledging it's easy to exceed their loyalty, as many of them used to be Cavs and Heat fans, and many others privately wish their Lakers jerseys were reversible, with Clippers jerseys sewn inside.

DONUT 8: BY THE NUMBERS The Mavs at 3-1 have stashed away their trio of wins in a very short time, at least relative to recent times.

How long in 2017 did it take for Dallas to record its third victory? It took 17 outings, that's how long.

DONUT 9: MAVS STEP BACK POD! Dalton Trigg and Matt Galatzan and Mavs voice "Skin'' Wade hang out to talk Mavs and Dirk and beer in our latest Mavs Step Back podcast. 

We had @SkinWade on this week to discuss the Mavs’ 3-1 start to the season, and much, much more!

Here, Skin talks about where #MFFL expectations should be for Friday’s nationally televised game vs. the Lakers at AAC.

Full episode here 🔊: https://t.co/sLqPQevaID pic.twitter.com/2kUXRMCzbF

— Mavs Step Back (@StepBackMavs) October 31, 2019

Jump on in!

DONUT 10: FREE THROWS AIN'T FREE Dallas missed nine free throws in the loss to Portland, missed 10 more in Denver, and is 19th in the NBA overall at 74 percent. The Eye Test tells us that number seems high ... but by any measure, that number needs to start creeping up.

What's nice is, Dallas in a top-eight team in attempts from the line. That's impressive, a sign of creativity and physicality. Now you gotta make 'em.

DONUT 11: WHAT'S ON TAP The Mavs' starting five for tonight? Kristaps Porzingis and Luka are the constants. The rest of it is early guesswork. Jalen Brunson? Dorian Finney-Smith? Maxi Kleber? Dwight Powell? (I'll quit guessing now.)

The 3-1 Lakers' counter? LeBron and AD with Avery Bradley, Danny Green and old pal JaVale McGee..This should be a blast, again with the 8:30 tip at the AAC. And yeah, DallasBasketball.com will see you there!

DONUT 12: THE FINAL WORD ““I feel at times I’m a bit moody. But, you know, hopefully that time will pass. I’ve talked to a lot of guys who are retired now, just to get some advice and get their perspective. Of course, it’s a process. You don’t get over it with one day. You kind of stay busy and you enjoy the kids and the travel and eventually you find something that you love and you spend your time there. That’s how people eventually got over it.” - Dirk Nowitzki - the man, not the street - on dealing with retirement.