NBA Playoffs 2020-21: Analyzing Dallas Mavericks' postseason scenarios 

The Dallas Mavericks have improved quite a lot over the last few weeks of the 2021 NBA season.

The Mavericks had a 18-16 record in the first half of the campaign and weren't in the playoff picture as a top-six side. The team turned a corner post the All-Star break and have the third-best record since (23-13).

The Dallas Mavericks (41-29) now find themselves in a comfortable position to secure an automatic playoff berth. They are fifth in the Western Conference standings, 0.5 games ahead of the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers and a game ahead of the seventh-placed LA Lakers, over whom they hold a tie-breaker advantage.

What do the Dallas Mavericks need to do to secure an automatic playoff berth?

The Dallas Mavericks, fortunately, have their fate in their own hands. A win in either one of their two remaining games would be enough to avoid falling into the play-in tournament spot. But two straight losses could hamper their chances, provided the Blazers and Lakers win all of their remaining games.

Mavs magic number drops to 1 to avoid play-in tournament. A 125-107 win over the New Orleans Pelicans tonight, led by Luka's 33 including a 5-5 3pt shooting display in the 2nd quarter.

— Mark Followill (@MFollowill) May 13, 2021

What do the Dallas Mavericks have to do to finish as the fifth seed?

The Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers are both in contention to finish as the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

The Dallas Mavericks will have to win both their remaining games to finish as the fifth seed.

The other scenario in which the Dallas Mavericks could finish fifth is if they end up with the same record as the Blazers and LA Lakers, which would set up a three-way tiebreaker. In that case, since the Mavericks have won their division title, they would finish fifth ahead of the Lakers in sixth and the Blazers in seventh.

ClinchedThe Dallas Mavericks are your Southwest Division Champions. #MFFL pic.twitter.com/bw6dJfwY8m

— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) May 8, 2021

The Dallas Mavericks playoff scenarios

The Dallas Mavericks are likely to face the Denver Nuggets, or the LA Clippers, depending on where they finish.

The Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns are also two teams they could face if they drop to seventh. That would be an unfavorable matchup for the Dallas Mavericks. The Jazz and Suns have been two of the best teams in the NBA regular season and could pose genuine problems for the Mavericks in a seven-game series.

The third-seeded LA Clippers and fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets could still swap places before the regular season concludes. That makes it difficult to predict who the Dallas Mavericks will face if they finish as the fifth or sixth seed.

The Dallas Mavericks will have better chances of making it to the second round if they face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

A first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets will be more favorable. The team from Colorado are without their star point guard Jamal Murray for the postseason. The Mavericks will certainly look to exploit the gaping hole in Denver's backcourt throughout a seven-game series.

The LA Clippers will pose a greater threat as they have bolstered their squad with some highly experienced veterans like Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins. Ty Lue's men look hungrier this season and are one of the favorites to win it all this season.