Mavericks are the scariest team in the West, per two former NBA champions

The Dallas Mavericks addressed critical needs -- size, rebounding and defense -- at the NBA trade deadline with the acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. With the impressive win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, the Mavs notched up their fourth in a row since the Feb. 8 transactions, and seventh in succession since Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup on Feb. 5.

The Mavs are rolling. During their 7-0 streak, they've given up over 110 points only twice, which may not sound like a big deal, but it very much is in the modern NBA where teams average 115 a night. Furthermore, both their offensive and defensive ratings have improved significantly, going from 117.7 to 120.9 and 116.2 to 104.5, respectively, during the winning streak.

While the Mavs still have work to do to cling onto a top-6 seed and thereby avoid going through the play-in tournament, they will undoubtedly be a scary out for any team in the playoffs. On Thursday's "Inside the NBA" on TNT, former NBA Champion Kenny Smith explained why teams ought to fear the Mavs.

"Those two guys together [Doncic and Irving] are not your normal 1-2 punch," Smith said. "On any given night, you can get 40 from one, and 30 from another, or possibly 40 and 40… These guys are incredibly gifted scorers. That's what makes Dallas a little more dangerous than anyone else."

Another former champion, Kendrick Perkins, echoed those sentiments on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday.  

"Do I have Dallas picked to win it all? Absolutely not," Perkins said. "But I know a lot of teams are scared to play against the Dallas Mavericks because of Luka Doncic."

Doncic -- with his LeBron-esque ability to control the pace of a game -- is someone no coach in the playoffs wants to see in a seven-game series. Just ask Monty Williams and his 2021-22 Suns. And now that Doncic has legitimate weapons and another expert ball-handler in Irving, watch out, NBA.