The Dallas Mavericks are in a bit of a slide, losing two in a row on their current road trip and seven of their last ten.
However, the team's recent struggles have not knocked them out of the huge pack of teams chasing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.
But, with only 1.5 months left in the NBA season, the Mavericks have to be more worried about keeping young teams like the Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers at bay to just make the playoffs than defending their 2011 NBA championship.
Dallas would be sixth if things ended today, but their recent skin, including six straight road losses, has removed much of their margin for error. Here's the Western Conference standings as of Saturday March 10:
For more info on the Mavs, check out our blog Mavs Moneyball. Also make sure to check out our NBA coverage over at SB Nation.