Your 2019 Mavs Preseason Primer - Dallas Sports Nation

With the season coming in hot, it’s useful to know when and where you can get your fix of Dallas Mavericks basketball.

MFFLs, we’ve made it! Media Day is Monday! It is the official start to the Dallas Mavericks 2019-2020 season and the hope and joy of a fresh slate that wipes away last year’s lowly 33 games win total and sets it sights on playoff basketball once again. The Mavs are in an impossibly stacked western conference, but MFFLs have utter faith in the youngest star duo in the NBA with reigning Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic and his new 7’3” unicorn Kristaps Porzingis as they take the court. The rest of the team is also younger than it has been in well over a decade, with the median age being 26 and the eldest and the longest tenured player being 35 yr old JJ Barea and the youngest still being Luka Doncic at 20.

So what can fans expect from the preseason? They can learn how players have improved over the summer from either their words or their play. They can learn how the coaching staff is approaching the new additions to the roster. They can learn how healthy everyone is. And most importantly, fans can learn how hyped their team is going into this year. It’s a great time to be Mavs fan and it’s time to get this train a-rollin’!

MAVS MEDIA DAY 9/30

Media day is the first glimpse fans will get at seeing ALL players at the same time in uniform for the season. This is when the team takes promotional photos and videos for the upcoming season as well as to conduct media sessions and interviews that allow fans to start their proverbial hype trains engines.

Media Day festivities should kick off at 11:30am CST and should have a live stream with both of the voices of the Dallas Mavericks, Chuck Cooperstein and Mark Followill. You should be able to watch the stream either on Mavs.com or via the Dallas Mavericks Twitter feed.

TRAINING CAMP 10/1-10/6

All Mavs players and camp invites will take the court for 6 days to develop chemistry and to allow players to fight for the end of the bench roles and chances at an NBA season with the Mavericks. Be prepared for a deluge of Twitter videos and posts from Mavs beat writers and hype videos from the team that will most CERTAINLY cover any major interactions between Luka and KP as MFFLs have thirsted for since January.

As training camp ends, the final training camp practice on 10/6 will be open to the public with players taking the court at 12:45 and working until 2:30 for fans to get an up-close and personal look at their squad. See for yourself the hilarity of JJ Barea standing next to Kristaps Porzingis. See Tim Hardaway and Seth Curry have a 3 pt shooting contest. But of course, fans should be there to see a Luka-KP pick and pop play happen before their very eyes.

PRESEASON GAMES 10/8-10/17

Two quick days later, the Mavs will start their exhibition preseason games, 5 in total, from Tuesday to Monday.

GAME 1: 10/8 7pm vs OKC @ Tulsa

The Mavericks open their preseason schedule on the road in Tulsa, OK against Chris Paul and the drastically rebuilding OKC Thunder after the dual departure of superstars Paul George and Russell Westbrook. This game will be remembered as special solely for the fact that it will be the first time MFFLs will hear Kristaps Porzingis’ name announced as part of the starting lineup alongside Luka Doncic. This game will broadcast on ESPN, as EVERYONE needs to see the Rookie of Year pass to the Unicorn for the first time.

GAME 2: 10/9 6pm vs DET @ Detroit

Yes, that is correct. The Mavs open their preseason schedule BOTH on a 2 game road trip AND on a back to back. As the team will be concerned with protecting their superstars for the season as well as load managing KP’s return to basketball after his 20 months absence, this game vs Blake Griffin and the Pistons should heavily feature the second unit and rookies. Be prepared for extended looks at how Jalen Brunson has progressed after an offseason where he played well for team USA in the FIBA World Cup as well as rookie draft pick Isaiah Roby amongst others. This game will be broadcast on FSSW.

GAME 3: 10/11 7:30pm vs MIL @AAC

After a day gap that will most certainly just be travel and rest for the Mavs, they’ll return home to play the reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his fellow Milwaukee Bucks in the first home game of the season. The MVP will be shown love by the Dallas faithful, but it will pale in comparison to the affection from MFFLs for Luka and KP. Show up, be rowdy, loud and proud for the future of the franchise and this will be the first chance you’ll get to do it. This game will be broadcast by Mark and Harp on FSSW.

GAME 4: 10/14 7:30pm vs OKC @AAC

The Mavs will get 2 days at home that include at least a practice or two to implement what they learned through the first 3 games of the preseason before they go back in front of the home crowd to see CP3 and the Thunder for the second time in the preseason. With the Mavs already 60% through the preseason, be on the lookout for Rick Carlisle to try some more adventures lineups and talent pairings like Boban and JJ (I just wanna see it, ok). FSSW will have the call again.

GAME 5: 10/17 9:30pm vs LAC @ Vancouver

The final preseason game for the Mavs will take place against reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard with Paul George and the new-look LA Clippers. This game is part of the NBA Canada series, in its 7^th year, and will also be the first time the Mavs have played in Vancouver since the 01 seasons. As it is, the final game of the preseason and the other team will most likely be saving their starters for opening night, expect this one to be the last chance to look at end of the bench guys and roster spot hopefuls. As it is an international game against the former Raptors savior, this game will be covered by both FSSW and NBATV.

After the last preseason game, the team will have 4 days to finalize its roster and cut the team down to the 15 opening day roster spots as well as the 2 Two-Way spots by the deadline of 5pm on Monday 10/21. This team seems fairly locked in with their roster as is, with there being only the slimmest of chances for one of the camp invites to win a spot, but in this NBA, crazier things have happened.

After a week of practices and a week and half of the games played, the Mavs will open the season 2 days after the final team roster is announced on 10/23. The team will start the season off properly AT HOME vs the lowly Wizards at 7:30pm.