Stephen A. Smith sends Mavericks 'No. 1 seed' warning to Thunder

02/03/2025 11:18 AM

Stephen A Smith is no stranger to bold takes, and that’s the case for the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, the First Take host stood on business. He explained how he feels that Dallas can propel themselves to the No. 1 seed.

“I got Dallas as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference right now. … As great as [the OKC Thunder] have been, what has been their Achilles heel? … The Dallas Mavericks seem to be an Achilles heel for OKC.”

Although the Mavericks defeated the Thunder last season in the Western Conference semifinals, this is a bold prediction. After all, Oklahoma City is sitting comfortably at the No. 1 seed so far. The 38-9 record is the best in the west, and the second-best in the league, only behind the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If Smith’s point were to come to fruition, the Mavericks would have to win a bunch more games. Simultaneously, the Thunder would need to lose a bunch more games, which they don’t look like they’re doing, anytime soon.

Stephen A Smith might mean something else about the Mavericks and Thunder

For the Mavericks to be the No. 1 seed, it would take some help from themselves, and from the Thunder. However, it might be clear that he misspoke here and just meant Western Conference favorite and not No. 1 seed. Dallas currently the No. 9 seed in the West and 13.5 games back of the Thunder.

With that being said, there are other teams that Dallas will have to climb over. The Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets are some of the few. Also, that’s not naming all of the teams that will present the Mavericks with a challenge. Still, Smith has a point about the rim protection.

The Thunder struggled mightily against Dallas last season due to the influx of interior players. Guys like Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II made a huge impact. However, the Thunder signed Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to help cure that problem. Even with Chet Holmgren out for the season, Hartenstein’s impact has been felt on all levels.

He’s averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, and assists. While one player doesn’t make the total difference, it certainly helps. Either way, Smith’s point might be inaccurate. Unless if a miracle strikes the Mavericks and everything doesn’t go Oklahoma City’s way, then it could happen. Still, there’s a lot of work to be done if Smith’s point were to come to fruition.

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