Progress showing in tangible ways for Mavericks during three-game winning streak

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Mavericks started 3-8 this season, looking pretty lousy in doing so.

Fans quickly pulled out the T-word - tanking - to do everything the franchise could to keep next summer's draft pick - which will go to Atlanta unless it's in the top five.

Four wins later, the Mavericks are 7-8 and everybody should be glad that players are immune to knee-jerk opinions that were everywhere 10 days ago.

Granted, the Mavericks woke up Sunday and still were 13th in the Western Conference. But that's not the point.

What matters is that they have pulled themselves out of what could have become an inescapable abyss. They are proving that a diverse team with five rotation players who have been in…