Carlisle put the ball in Dončić’s hands early his rookie season, and has built the Mavs’ offense around the point forward’s prodigious talents, surrounding him with shooters like Seth Curry and a strong second scoring option in the now-healthy Kristaps Porziņģis. Always on top of every analytic trend, Dallas has joined the league’s charge back toward – mirabile dictu – caring again about offensive rebounds, after years of teams prioritizing getting back on defense. Comfortably in the playoff mix when the season was suspended with a 40-27 record – just three games in the loss column behind Houston in the Southwest Division and currently seventh in the Western Conference – Dallas will be a team none of the top seeds will want to face in the first round.