"The Mavs are down like a Honda Civic on 4 flats" - Kendrick Perkins gives Luka Doncic and Mavericks reality check after another loss

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks continue their downward spiral after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday (Mar. 29) night. The Mavericks (37-40) remain 11th in the Western Conference and are 0.5 games behind the OKC Thunder (38-40).

Former NBA and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins reckons the Mavericks should start planning for next season. He thinks the season is over for Dallas and they better hope that Kyrie Irving doesn't leave them in free agency this summer.

The Mavericks can still make the playoffs if they qualify for the play-in tournament. However, they only have five games remaining, and it might be tough to win them all.

The Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks are good teams, while the Sacramento Kings are third in the West. The Chicago Bulls have been playing well recently, which means their final game against the San Antonio Spurs is Dallas' only winnable matchup.

It has been a tough stretch for the Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, who have won only three of their last ten games. They flunked two winnable games against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday (Mar. 24) and Sunday (Mar. 26).

Doncic continues to play amazingly on offense, but it's the team's overall defense that gives the Mavericks problems. He told reporters after Sunday's game that this season has been the most frustrating of his career.

"Yeah, it's really frustrating," Doncic said. "I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes I don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have fun, smiling on the court, but it's just been frustrating."

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Luka Doncic's frustration not a good sign for Mavericks

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks

It's going to be a frustrating season for the Dallas Mavericks if they miss the playoffs after making the Western Conference finals last year. The Mavericks failed to re-sign Jalen Brunson in the offseason, and coach Jason Kidd doesn't know how to use Christian Wood.

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have not played well together. The Mavericks could have had better results if they were surrounded by a better roster. Nevertheless, Doncic is showing signs of frustration, which is not great for Dallas.

Dirk Nowitzki might have been loyal to the franchise, but he's not Doncic. The current generation of superstars are not the same and may demand a trade if they feel they can't win with their team.

It will be interesting to see what the Mavericks front office does this summer. They have some cap space to work with, but would it be enough to make Doncic happy and smile again?