Mavericks criticize play-in tournament as Memphis Grizzlies breathe down their neck

The Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks have been neck-and-neck in the Western Conference NBA Playoff race thus far in 2021. While the Mavericks have underperformed, the Grizzlies have been punching above their weight class, currently sitting in the 8th seed with a 27-25 record.

On Tuesday, the Grizzlies would get a home win against the Chicago Bulls, pulling a bit closer to the Mavericks, who recently hit a 2-game mid-season skid.

Right now, these two teams are in competition for home-court advantage in the play-in tournament. While both squads are within reach of a locked-in playoff spot, it’s much more likely that they’ll be facing off in the 7-8 game of the play-in tournament.

The Memphis Grizzlies are threatening the Mavs’ home-court advantage

Earlier in the season, the Mavericks were relatively quiet about the play-in tournament. As an underperforming team that sat around a 9 or 10 seed, they only stood to gain from the unique 2021 NBA Playoff format.

But now, they’ve moved up, playing at a more normal level of basketball for a team that was expected to be a contender in the West. After a strong middle-stretch of the season, the Mavs find themselves as a 7 seed with the Grizzlies breathing down their neck.

This has clearly made them uncomfortable, with multiple comments to the media from members of the Dallas Mavericks. Most notably, Luka Doncic and Mark Cuban had choice words about this year’s play-in tournament format. Here’s what they had to say.