The Dallas Mavericks have two weeks of basketball to decide their season. With the trade deadline looming just a week away, and eight games before a much needed break, the team has the deepest gut check it has faced this season.
Back in the middle of November I wrote that the remaining slate that month would define the season as a whole. It was a step-up in competition at the time, splitting games at home and on the road almost evenly. The Mavericks went 4-5 in that stretch, and were 10-10 on the season.