Watching the Dallas Mavericks win an NBA title was amazing.

Rather than build a super team of all-stars, Dallas put a well-rounded team behind Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks’ ball movement was outstanding. They played defense. Their bench was a key factor and they could light it up from three-point range.

In some ways, the UTA men’s basketball team resembles those Mavericks. Even UTA head coach Scott Cross made the comparison.

The red-hot UTA Mavs have used fundamental basketball and great teamwork to rattle off 10 consecutive wins, a new UTA record. They are first in the Southland Conference with a perfect 6-0 record and lead the SLC in scoring margin, averaging 11.7 more points per game than their opponents.

Senior forward LaMarcus Reed is the leading scorer with 16 points per game, and senior forward Bo Ingram and junior forward Kevin Butler are both averaging more than 10 points. Junior forward Jordan Reves is the big man, and sophomore Shaquille White-Miller puts it all together from the point guard spot to round out the Mavs.

All five starters can score, but that isn’t their biggest offensive strength. White-Miller does a great job setting up good looks for the scorers, and the scorers do an excellent job of passing up mediocre shots to set up a great one – similar to Jason Kidd getting the ball to Dirk or Jason Terry before they make a swing pass.

They have a bench. Several players can come into the game at any time and make a huge impact, and they have depth at every position. Dallas had the best bench in the NBA last season.

And in another similarity to Dallas, UTA has a well-rounded group of three-point shooters. They sit second in the conference in three-point percentage, and third in total three-pointers behind Reed and Ingram.

Oh, and one last thing — they play defense, too. UTA leads the SLC by forcing 18.9 turnovers per game, and they hold opponents to a 40.6 shooting percentage from the floor, putting them just behind Sam Houston State.

They move the ball and can score on offense. They play great defense. They have a deep bench and can knock down three’s with the best of them.

It sure is great to watch some Mavericks basketball.