NBA: Ranking the 20 projected playoff teams based on their record vs. winning teams

16. Dallas Mavericks (16-23)

One of the biggest mysteries of the NBA season thus far has revolved around why the Dallas Mavericks have struggled as much as they have with two players as talented as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. At the moment, there's no guarantee that the Mavs are going to be able to avoid having to win their way into the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament and even if they make the top 8 in the West, this is a team that not many expect to make much of any noise.

On paper, the Mavs should be better than they currently are. They have two of the 5-10 best offensive talents in the game and are barely above average. At the very least, the Mavs should be considered a dark horse contender to make a deep run in the West. For as talented as they may be on paper, I'm not sure if even Mavs fans expect much from this team down the stretch.

And most of that is reflected in how they've performed this season against teams with winning records. If something doesn't click soon, this is a team that could be headed toward another disappointing end to the season.