NBA Coaches Call Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving's Mavs 'Scary' Ahead of 2024 NBA Playoffs

People within the NBA are reportedly taking notice of the surging Dallas Mavericks as the NBA playoffs approach.

Speaking on his Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast on Wednesday (beginning at 1:30 mark), ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed what he has heard about the Mavs in recent days:

"Dallas is a team that as I talk to people in the league--I talk to coaches, I talk to scouts--several different times in the last seven to 10 days, people have been like, 'We just played Dallas, and man, they're scary,' or 'I just saw Dallas, and man, they look good.' You hear it once, you hear it twice, it's like, 'OK, yeah, I've heard it before,' but Dallas is starting to show some teeth."

Following a three-game losing streak to kick off March, the Mavericks have won nine of their past 10 games with the only loss being a road defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which superstar guard Luka Dončić sat out due to hamstring tightness.

Dallas' recent success has catapulted it into sixth place in the Western Conference at 43-29, putting it one game ahead of the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns.

If the Mavs can hang onto the No. 6 seed it would be a huge deal since it would allow them to avoid the postseason play-in tournament where dangerous teams like the Kings, Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors lurk.

The biggest reason for the Mavericks' recent string of wins has undoubtedly been the play of superstar duo Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

Dončić is an MVP candidate, as he leads the league in scoring with 33.9 points per game to go along with 9.8 assists and 9.1 rebounds. Meanwhile, Kyrie is putting up 25.3 points, 5.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds per contest.

Dončić and Irving seemingly didn't have immediate chemistry last season when the Mavs acquired Kyrie from the Brooklyn Nets, which led to them missing the playoffs, but the pairing has meshed this season and helped Dallas become a championship contender.

Outside of Dončić and Irving, the biggest factors in Dallas' recent success have arguably been trade deadline acquisitions Daniel Gafford and Grant Williams.

They have helped give the Mavs the interior presence they previously lacked, as Gafford is averaging 11.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 20 games for the Mavericks, while Williams is putting up 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.

Down the stretch and in the playoffs, opposing teams are likely going to struggle to defend both Dončić and Irving, but Dallas is now made even more dangerous by a supporting cast that can contribute as well.

Coming out of the stacked Western Conference won't be easy, but the Mavericks seemingly have as good of a chance as any other team to do so.