No Bull: Mavs Stretch Streak to 11 in Chicago

On a night when only nine players were suited up and ready to play, it looked at times as though the Dallas Mavericks league-leading 10 game winning streak might be in jeopardy as they faced the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. What could have easily been considered another scheduled loss for the Mavericks (their second night of a back to back, again in two different cities) turned out to be another all-around team effort as the Mavs held on to win, 122-116, over the Bulls, winning their 11th consecutive game.

Rookie Roddy Beaubois shined once again, putting up a new career high with 24 points. Beaubois' offensive output was matched by Caron Butler, and the team was led by 27 points from Dirk, 13 of which came during the final twelve minutes of play. Jason Kidd, the only player to boast the unusual rebounds-assists double-double this season, did it yet again, leading the Mavs with 11 boards and 15 assists. In the third quarter is when Beaubois really made his presence known, scoring 18 points and helping the Mavs extend their lead to double digits.

Since the All-Star break, the Mavs have posted an impressive 11-1 record, rolling out ten straight wins after losing their first game back to the up and coming Oklahoma City Thunder. By comparison, the LA Lakers, who currently sit atop the Western Conference, have only managed a 5-5 record since mid-February. Dallas passed the Denver Nuggets to take second place in the West and has closed within just three games of the Lakers for first place after the Lakers lost a close one to Orlando on Sunday.

What's really amazing for the Mavericks is the fact that they can only get better from this point. Since the All-Star break, the Mavs have had one of the busiest, most hectic schedules in the league, allowing little to no true practice time to try and work in the three new players that came over in the trade with the Washington Wizards (Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson). But after this coming Monday night, when the Mavs will finish their third game in four nights in Minnesota, the Mavs will play only four games over the next twelve days. This super light schedule should not only give the newest Mavs some serious practice time, but it will also allow those players with injuries (Jason Terry, Brendan Haywood, and Erick Dampier) a chance to recover and allow heavy minute getters such as Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki a chance to get some much needed rest. Coming out of the four games in twelve day stretch, the Mavs should be well rested and ready to make their playoff push as they attempt to surpass the Lakers for the number one seed in the West. What originally seemed an unreachable goal has now become a real possibility, especially if the Mavs can continue their winning ways of late.

And heading into Minnesota to face a team that has won only 14 games all season, their chances look pretty good to gain a little more ground on the flailing Lakers. Especially when you consider that the Mavs are playing with two living legends and future Hall of Famers (Kidd and Nowitzki), the latter of which was just named Western Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. The more I watch this team play together, the more I really start to think this is our year; our time has come. Of course, being the true blue MFFL that I am, I tend to think that every year -- but this time, I truly believe it. 2010 has been a magical year for me and the Mavericks thus far and I have a sneaking suspicion this is just the beginning....