During June's NBA Draft, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was quite vocal about his belief that the Dallas Mavericks should be considered the "number one threat" to the OKC Thunder during the upcoming 2025-26 campaign.
From their recent success in head-to-head bouts that has the Mavs boasting an 8-6 record since 2023-24 (including both regular season and playoffs) to the high-end impact that a player like top-pick Cooper Flagg is projected to provide to the team right from the jump in his rookie year, the polarizing sports personality laid out myriad arguments to try and back up his claim.
Two months later, it appears he's still astronomically high on Dallas' ability to give the Thunder trouble during their hopeful title repeat run, as Smith was seen once again peddling this narrative that they should be seen as a "preeminent threat" during a recent appearance on Gil's Arena.
"They've always had OKC's number. If you look at them, even last year, when Luka was down, they still beat them. Oklahoma City was running through everybody except Dallas... For some reason, Dallas has their number and they know how to play against them. I think because of that reality, you cannot dismiss the Dallas Mavericks as being that threat," Smith said.
Mavericks still being pushed as threat to Thunder repeat by Stephen A.
Though Smith's argument may seem to have some validity when it comes to the Mavericks' ability to best the Thunder over these past couple of years, as they even led the entire league with a 3-1 record against the eventual champs last year, it's crucial to understand that their prosperous, multi-season stretch was achieved with a much different core leading the charge.
With guys like Luka Doncic (now with the Lakers) and Kyrie Irving (slated to be out for the majority, if not all of next season, due to a torn ACL) no longer at the helm, Dallas will be forced to rely on a new collection of ballers headlined by injury-prone star Anthony Davis, inconsistent point guard D'Angelo Russell, and their inexperienced youngster in Flagg for the majority of 2025-26.
To suggest that this is a trio that should give the verging on dynastic Thunder a substantial amount of concern moving forward is quite humorous, especially when being discussed as a legitimate threat to dethrone OKC over other, clearly more menacing teams like the Houston Rockets (who Smith discussed second) and Denver Nuggets (who was not mentioned at all).
Now, though Smith did acknowledge that health will play a significant role in this belief in Dallas living up to his expectations, something even he noted is "asking a lot" from the likes of Davis and, when he returns, Irving, his constant hyping up of the Mavericks is something that's growing louder and, simultaneously, more peculiar by the day.