Dyno-mite

Humungous win for the Dallas Mavericks last night against the Utah Jazz. Clinching a playoff spot last night is secondary to moving up in the standings, and with back-to-back games against the New Orleans Hornets coming over the weekend they will have a first-hand chance to do so.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how the Mavs needed to draft a point guard in June, and while I still feel like that's a position they need to address, J.J. Barea deserves the chance to at least be considered for stepping into a starter's role if Jason Kidd decides not to come back.

At his worst, Barea seems like a rich man's Travis Best, but he could end up being a quicker, shot- first version of Steve Nash. He's been up and down during the season, but in those games when he realizes that nobody on the court can stay in front of him, he's looked ridiculous.

If he can continue to give the Mavs consistent production off the bench during the postseason, Dallas will be a tough team to contend with, regardless of what seed they come up with.