If there was any doubt about the attitude the Mavericks must possess when they begin the stretch-run on Thursday against Phoenix, Tim Hardaway Jr. left nothing to the imagination.
“We got to approach it as if we’re not in the playoffs right now,” he said. “We’re only in the play-in with the standings how (they are) now.
“So we got to get back into the top six. And it starts tomorrow.”
Approach it like they aren’t in the playoffs. Because they aren’t.
That’s priceless advice for the Mavericks, who finished the pre-All-Star portion of the schedule with six consecutive wins and vaulted themselves into position to seriously compete for a spot in the top six, which would mean avoiding that perilous play-in tournament for teams finishing seventh through 10th in the Western Conference.