Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks, joined the NBA in 1980-81 and quickly became a competitive franchise. With premium draft selections the team steadily improved through the 1980s-Dallas looked like a team of the future. Then in the early 1990s the Mavericks experienced one of the most precipitous declines in NBA history. The team's descent was so complete that it twice threatened the worst single-season record ever recorded. But with a solid core of young, talented players, the Mavericks should be able to start climbing their way back up the NBA ladder.
Before welcoming the Mavericks in 1980, Dallas had been home to the Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association from 1967-68 to 1972-73. On March 26, 1973, the Chaparrals played the Carolina Cougars in the last ABA game played at Dallas Memorial Auditorium-the paid attendance was 134. The next season the Chaparrals became the San Antonio Spurs, and for the next seven years Dallas was without a professional basketball franchise.
The Dallas Mavericks 2005-2006 season was indisputably the greatest in the team’s 26-year history. Despite losing to the Miami Heat in 6 games, the Mavs took the city of Dallas by storm by making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Beyond their first ever trip to the Finals, the Western Conference Champs had plenty of other reasons to celebrate, both during the playoffs and the regular season.
The Mavericks sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the First Round of the Playoffs was the first four-game sweep in franchise playoff history. The quick dismissal of the Grizzlies set the Mavs up for a battle of epic proportions with their intrastate rival and arch-enemy San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs Game 7 victory in San Antonio was highlighted by Dirk Nowitzki’s "And 1" on Manu Ginobili to tie the game in the closing seconds of regulation, arguably the biggest shot in the history of the franchise. With the victory, Dallas became the second team in NBA history to win a Game 7 in overtime on the road. Dirk’s 37 point effort was the second-most by a player in a Game 7 road victory in NBA history.
After getting by the Spurs in dramatic fashion, the Mavs took care of Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in six games in the Western Conference Finals. The highlight of the series came in Game 5, when Dirk ravaged the Suns for 50 points, only two nights after scoring a season-low 11 points in Game 4.
Dallas won 60 games during the regular season, tying the franchise best mark set in 2002-2003. As a reward for their stellar play, the Mavs coaching staff represented the Western Conference at the 2006 All-Star Game in Houston. In addition to Dirk being named to the Western Conference squad and winning the 3-point contest, Devin Harris participated in the Rookie/Sophomore game and Jason Terry participated in the 3-point contest.
Nowitzki had another superb season leading the Mavs, again topping the 2,000 point mark while setting career-highs in scoring (26.6 ppg), field goal percentage (48.0%), 3-point field goal percentage (40.6%), and free throw percentage (90.1%). All this earned him his team record fifth All-Star appearance, Western Conference Player of the Month honors for December, placed him third in the league’s MVP voting for the second straight year, and also earned him First Team All-NBA for the second time in a row.
2005-2006 marked the second straight season that the Mavs parted ways with a member of the "Big 3", the trio that led them back to NBA prominence in the late 1990s, waiving Michael Finley in a one-time luxury tax move. The Mavs brought back glue-guy Adrian Griffin, a member of the team from 2001-2003, and signed DeSagana Diop, both of whom played key roles in the Mavs season-long success.
In just his first full season as head coach, Avery Johnson was named NBA Coach of the Year. Going back to the end of the 2004-2005 season, Avery won 66 of the first 82 games he coached, by far the best start by a first-time coach in league history. Johnson was also the fastest coach to 50 victories, and also received Coach of the Month honors twice in November and January.
Now that Avery Johnson has a full year under his belt and the team has
tasted the NBA Finals, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry's leadership, Jerry
Stackhouse and Erick Dampier’s play off the bench, and Josh Howard, Devin
Harris, and DeSagana Diop’s improved play has once again positioned the
Mavs to make a run at the NBA crown in 2006-2007.
Learn more about Dallas Mavericks at www.nba.com/mavericks
