Not much movement at all for the Mavs in this week's power rankings, and rightfully so, I suppose. They unexpectedly beat a full-strength Spurs squad (yay!), lost to the same Spurs squad (ugh) and lost to the Pacers (but without Monta Ellis).
As Josh Bowe noted in his piece earlier today, inconsistency seems to be the unfortunate hallmark of this Mavs team -- but this team still finds itself in a position of comfortably making the playoffs, unlike last year. They may be everyone's favorite matchup, but hey, I watched the same sorta magical Spurs first round series y'all did last year. So.
Let us here you in the comments, and as always, you can read the full rankings for each site by clicking on "what they said."
SB Nation
This Week: 10 Last Week: 8
Monta Ellis sat out of his first game of the season on Sunday, ending a streak of 237 consecutive games played. His consistency has been big for Dallas over the years, especially with a roster filled with players who have been in and out, as Mavs Moneyball's Tim Cato shows with this crazy graphic.
Yahoo! Sports
This Week: 10 Last Week: 10
The Mavericks are a combined 2-5 against Memphis and Houston and will likely face one of those teams in the first round of the playoffs.
CBS Sports
This Week: 12 Last Week: 13
At this point Dallas is like a play in total disarray at dress rehearsal and looks like a complete disaster. You're just hoping it magically comes together when the playoff curtain rises.
ESPN
This Week: 11 Last Week: 11
Rest assured that the sliding Mavs, for all their recent concern about Monta Ellis' play, would much prefer having Ellis in the lineup as opposed to trying to play without him as they must now. One bright spot: Chandler Parsons is shooting .483 from the field (and .421 on 3s) since the All-Star break.
Sports Illustrated
This Week: 11 Last Week: 10
Monta Ellis's streak of 237 consecutive games played came to an end in Sunday's loss to the Pacers after he suffered a right calf injury on Friday. With a bench thinner than a bolo tie, the Mavs can ill afford any injury, much less one to their leading scorer.