Season Recaps
Mavericks' Roller-Coaster Ride Has Seen Plenty
Of Thrills And Spills
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.
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1979: Carter Welcomes Back Basketball To Dallas
In 1979 millionaire Donald J. Carter and Mavericks
founding President/GM Norm Sonju set the wheels in motion to secure
an NBA team. At the 1980 NBA All-Star Game league owners voted
to admit the Texas franchise. For a $12 million entry fee, Dallas
was in for the 1980-81 season. The Mavericks would play in the
NBA's Midwest Division.
In the expansion draft the Mavericks bypassed experienced
stars such as Earl Monroe, Rick Barry, Doug Collins, Pete Maravich,
and Spencer Haywood. Instead the franchise went with youth-18
of the 22 players chosen by Dallas had less than three years of
NBA experience. Although there was some talent-11 of the expansion
picks were former first-round draft choices-it was a typical expansion
crew. Among the recognizable names were Jim Spanarkel from the
Philadelphia 76ers, Austin Carr from the Cleveland Cavaliers,
Bingo Smith from the San Diego Clippers, and Richard Washington
from the Milwaukee Bucks.
On June 10, 1980, the Mavericks selected UCLA's
Kiki Vandeweghe with the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft, making
Vandeweghe the first college draftee in franchise history. But
Vandeweghe refused to play for the expansion Mavericks, staging
a holdout that lasted more than a month into the 1980-81 season.
Finally, on December 10, Dallas traded his rights and a 1986 first-round
pick to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for two future first-round
draft choices.
The trade served the Mavericks extremely well. They
used one of the picks to draft Rolando Blackman in 1981-Blackman
became the team's all-time leading scorer. In another move that
would pay huge dividends, Dallas traded Mike Bratz to Cleveland
for the Cavaliers' 1984 first-round draft choice. Dallas used
that pick in 1984 to select Sam Perkins, who gave the club six
solid seasons at power forward and center.
The Mavericks' best move was the hiring of Dick
Motta as the club's first head coach. A good teacher and a basketball
disciplinarian, Motta had arrived in the NBA as coach of the 1968-69
Chicago Bulls and transformed the club into a winner. After Chicago's
51-31 finish in 1970-71, Motta was named NBA Coach of the Year.
He left Chicago following the 1975-76 season to coach the Washington
Bullets, guiding them to the NBA title in 1978. Motta arrived
in Dallas with a 541-443 NBA coaching record.
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1980-81: A Slow Start
The Mavericks opened the 1980-81 season in the
posh new $27 million Reunion Arena. The opening-night lineup included
Abdul Jeelani, Jerome Whitehead, Tom LaGarde, Geoff Huston, and
Winford Boynes. Dallas upset the San Antonio Spurs, 103-92, in
the team's debut contest. Jeelani scored the first points in franchise
history; Boynes led Dallas with 21 points, while LaGarde added
19 points and 14 rebounds.
The rest of the season saw the losses mount with
discouraging frequency, even for an expansion club. The Mavericks
started 6-40 and suffered losing streaks of 10 and 12 games before
they managed to win two in a row. On November 8, in a game against
the Detroit Pistons, Motta joined Red Auerbach, Red Holzman, and
Gene Shue on the list of coaches to log 1,000 career NBA games.
Ironically, Motta missed the fourth quarter of his 1,000th game
after being ejected. The Mavericks lost that contest, 101-73.
Dallas did have some good fortune. In early December
the club signed free agent Brad Davis, a 6-3 guard who had been
waived by the Detroit Pistons. Davis didn't seem markedly different
from the rest of the Mavericks' journeyman talent, having already
pulled several undistinguished stints on NBA and Continental Basketball
Association rosters. The Mavericks tracked him down in the CBA,
playing with the Anchorage Northern Knights. To Davis, the idea
of playing with Dallas wasn't much more appealing than playing
with Anchorage; he had planned to finish the season and go back
to school.
Instead Davis appeared in 56 games that season for
the Mavericks, starting the final 26. He tied Jeelani for the
Mavericks' best individual scoring effort of the year with 31
points against the Boston Celtics on March 3, and he led Dallas
in assists (6.9 apg) and field-goal percentage (.561). His career
revitalized, Davis became an integral component of the Mavericks'
roster for the next 12 seasons.
Dallas finished its first NBA campaign with a 15-67
record. The Mavericks scored 101.5 points per game, which would
remain a team low for a decade. Jim Spanarkel led the club in
scoring with 14.4 points per game and was fourth in the NBA with
an .887 free-throw percentage. Tom LaGarde topped Mavericks rebounders
with 8.1 boards per contest.
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1981-82: Promising Draft Lifts Mavs' Hopes
Various deals netted Dallas nine first-round draft
picks over the next five years, which brought such top-flight
players as Sam Perkins, Derek Harper, Roy Tarpley, and Detlef
Schrempf. But the immediate challenge was the 1981 NBA Draft,
and Dallas selected three players who transformed the team from
a doormat into a challenger-Mark Aguirre (with the first overall
pick), Rolando Blackman (9th), and Jay Vincent (24th).
In 1981-82 Dallas improved its record by 13 games
to 28-54 and climbed out of the Midwest Division cellar to finish
above the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks opened the season with a fashion
change-green road uniforms replacing the previous year's blue.
Aguirre scored 19 points in his first regular-season game. On
November 14 he hit for 42 points, but the Mavericks still lost
(for a seventh straight time) to the Golden State Warriors. Dallas's
losing streak would stretch to a season-worst 12 games. Considering
that the Mavericks opened the campaign 1-13, the rest of the year
brought impressive improvement.
Aguirre, a 6-6 forward who was a threat to score
every time he touched the ball, was one key to the team's growing
success. In his seven-plus seasons in Dallas he averaged 24.6
points. Fellow rookie Blackman, a 6-6 guard with a sweet shooting
touch, also embarked on a long and productive career with the
Mavericks. Over his 11 seasons with the team he averaged 19.2
points and proved to be a solid defender.
On December 15 Vincent, a 6-7 forward, started in
place of Aguirre and led the Mavericks to victory over Washington
by scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. It marked the first
of 15 30-point games for Vincent during the season. He scored
a career-high 41 points in a December 29 win over the Kansas City
Kings.
Dallas put together a modest four-game winning streak
in January , an encouraging sign for the young team. Vincent continued
to score at a torrid pace, and reserve guard Allan Bristow (who
later became a coach in the NBA) provided able all-around support.
By the end of January the Mavericks had rebounded from their horrendous
1-13 start; after those first 14 games they turned in a respectable
12-15 performance. They couldn't sustain momentum for the duration
of the season, but they were showing promise. For the year, Vincent
led the team in scoring with 21.4 points per game and was selected
to the NBA All-Rookie Team. Aguirre added 18.7 points per contest.
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1982-83: A Team To Reckon With
During the 1982-83 season the Mavericks gave indications
that they were a team on the move. They finished at 38-44, 10
games better than the previous year and the third-best improvement
in the NBA. Even more telling, the league was beginning to view
the Mavericks not as an expansion team but as a dangerous opponent.
On January 14, just 10 days after totaling only
84 points in a loss at Washington, the Mavericks broke the club's
single-game scoring record in a 149-139 win over Denver. Rolando
Blackman's 31 points led the charge, while Mark Aguirre collected
the first triple-double in franchise history with 30 points, 11
rebounds, and 16 assists. Dallas defeated Golden State on January
18, making Motta the fifth NBA coach to log 600 career wins. Four
days later the Mavericks humbled Utah, 126-88; the 38-point win
was Dallas's largest margin of victory ever. Four days later the
Mavs concluded a five-game winning streak with a victory over
the Kansas City Kings.
The Mavericks continued to roll as Aguirre scored
44 points to key a February 6 victory over the Portland Trail
Blazers. Heading into the All-Star break Dallas had won 12 of
its last 15 games and had climbed into second place in the Midwest
Division with a 25-24 record.
The team fell off its cloud in the second half of
the season. The Mavericks were challenging for a playoff spot
until they went into a seven-game slump with two weeks left in
the stretch run. Out of the playoffs, Dallas rolled over in the
final game of the year, watching the San Antonio Spurs run to
an NBA-record .707 shooting percentage and a 132-120 victory.
Despite the disappointing finish, 1982-83 had been
a season of promise for Dallas. The Mavericks ranked fifth in
the league in team scoring (112.7 ppg) and committed fewer turnovers
(16.4 per game) than any other team. Mark Aguirre paced Dallas
in scoring with 24.4 points per game, sixth in the NBA; he was
backed by Jay Vincent (18.7 ppg) and Rolando Blackman (17.7).
Brad Davis placed among the league's top 10 in three categories-eighth
in field-goal percentage (.572, the best ever by a guard), 10th
in assists (7.2 apg), and sixth in free-throw percentage (.845).
The franchise strengthened its young roster in the
1983 NBA Draft by selecting Derek Harper, a 6-4 guard from the
University of Illinois. Harper went on to average 15.0 points
and 6.1 assists over the next decade.
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1983-85: Dallas Sees Postseason For First Time
In 1983-84 the Mavericks achieved their first
winning season, finishing 43-39 and second to Utah in the Midwest
Division. Now in its fourth season, Dallas also made its first
playoff appearance and came away with moderate success.
The Mavericks got off to a hot start in November
with a 10-3 record (the best month in club history), which included
9 straight wins at home. On November 17 Dallas began a team-record
eight-game winning streak. Aguirre scored 40 points in consecutive
games against the Golden State Warriors and the San Diego Clippers
on December 10 and December 11. He also became the first All-Star
in franchise history when he appeared in the 1984 NBA All-Star
Game.
The Mavs continued to impress with their firepower.
In a March 24 game against Denver, Aguirre scored 24 first-quarter
points, finishing the game with 46, while Blackman added 38. In
early April little-used rookie guard Dale Ellis set an NBA record
by hitting 8 consecutive three-pointers, spread over several games.
For the season, Aguirre averaged 29.5 points and
ranked second in the NBA in scoring to Utah's Adrian Dantley (30.6
ppg). Blackman was 13th with 22.4 points per game, and Brad Davis
ranked 10th in assists with 6.9 per contest. For the second consecutive
campaign Dallas committed the fewest turnovers in the league,
with 15.9 per game.
Although the Mavericks ended the 1983-84 season
with a loss at Golden State, they had already clinched the fourth
playoff spot in the Western Conference. In the team's initial
postseason experience, Dallas defeated the Seattle SuperSonics
in a best-of-five first-round series, winning Game 5 in overtime,
105-104. The Mavericks then drew the Los Angeles Lakers in the
Western Conference Semifinals, and the Finals-bound Lakers won
in five games.
Thanks to a 1980 trade, Dallas owned Cleveland's
first-round pick in the 1984 NBA Draft. Because Cleveland went
28-54 in 1983-84, the Mavericks found themselves picking fourth.
They selected 6-9 Sam Perkins from the University of North Carolina,
one pick after the Chicago Bulls had selected another Tar Heels
player named Michael Jordan. Perkins, who had helped North Carolina
to the 1982 NCAA Championship, brought an effective, deceptively
laid-back game to the NBA. He averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 rebounds
in six seasons with the Mavericks, moved on to help the Lakers
in the waning years of the Magic Johnson dynasty, and landed in
Seattle for the SuperSonics' run in the 1990s.
The 1984-85 Mavericks finished a single game better
than the previous season at 44-38, marking the fourth consecutive
year of improvement. Perkins made the NBA All-Rookie Team and
Mark Aguirre once again led the Dallas scoring parade with 25.7
points per game. On January 28 Aguirre broke his own team record
by pouring in 49 points against Philadelphia. Rolando Blackman
represented the franchise in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game. Motta
became the fourth NBA coach to win 700 games when Dallas downed
the New Jersey Nets, 126-113, on March 10.
Dallas had talented players, but a major key to
its success was that the Mavs stayed healthy all year. For the
third straight season the Mavericks led the league in fewest turnovers,
this time with an NBA-record low of 14.4 per game. Their 152 three-pointers
were also an NBA best, another trend that would become a characteristic
of the team.
Dallas made its second consecutive postseason appearance
in 1985 but was a first-round victim of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Mavericks notched a thrilling double-overtime victory in Game
1 of the best-of-five series, but the Blazers roared back to win
three straight.
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1985-86: Dallas Drafts Detlef, Deals For Donaldson
In 1985-86 Dallas notched another 44-38 record
while continuing to develop into a contender. The club had added
another piece to its growing talent pool with the selection of
Detlef Schrempf in the 1985 NBA Draft. Once again the pick was
the result of an earlier trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A
multidimensional 6-10 forward, the German-born Schrempf had played
collegiately at the University of Washington. In addition, after
shuffling through six opening-day centers in as many seasons,
the Mavericks acquired 7-2 center James Donaldson from the Los
Angeles Clippers on November 25 in exchange for Kurt Nimphius.
Dallas hosted the 1986 NBA All-Star Game, and Rolando
Blackman represented the team in the midseason classic for the
second straight year. Blackman scored a career-best 46 points
against the Sacramento Kings on March 12, second on the all-time
Dallas scoring list to Mark Aguirre's 49 points the previous year.
A high-scoring outfit, the Mavericks averaged 115.3
points, second in the NBA to the powerful Los Angeles Lakers.
The individual scoring was more balanced than in previous seasons:
Aguirre (22.6 ppg) and Blackman (21.5) paced the squad, with Sam
Perkins, Jay Vincent, and Derek Harper also averaging in double
figures. Donaldson ranked ninth in the NBA in rebounding, grabbing
9.6 boards per game. For the fourth straight year the Mavericks
led the league in fewest turnovers, and for the second straight
year they finished first in three-pointers made.
Dallas eliminated Utah in the first round of the
1986 NBA Playoffs, then encountered the title-bound Los Angeles
Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers won the
series in six games, four of which were decided by four points
or less.
The Mavericks picked big Roy Tarpley in the 1986
NBA Draft. The 7-foot forward from the University of Michigan
turned out to be one of the better players in franchise annals-and
the saddest story.
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1986-87: Team Tops 50 Wins; Crumbles in Postseason
In 1986-87 the Mavericks served notice that they
had arrived as an elite team in the NBA, with a versatile young
roster that seemed to presage years of future success. Dallas
posted a best-ever 55-27 record and won the Midwest Division.
The season started on a defensive note when Dallas
walloped opening-night opponent Utah while holding the Jazz to
a .311 field-goal percentage. A week later Dallas drilled Seattle,
147-124, as a club-record nine Mavericks scored in double figures.
On November 26 the always careful Mavericks tied their own NBA
record with only 4 turnovers against the Sacramento Kings. Their
13-1 start at home was the best in team history.
Dallas's lineup had settled into a starting unit
of Mark Aguirre, Sam Perkins, James Donaldson, Derek Harper, and
Rolando Blackman, with Detlef Schrempf, Roy Tarpley, and Brad
Davis coming off the bench. The team was talented and versatile
at every position, presenting problems for almost all NBA opponents.
In January, Schrempf recorded the third triple-double in team
history. In March, Donaldson surpassed Jay Vincent's 1984-85 single-season
record of 704 rebounds. March proved to be the team's best month
ever at 12-4, including Dick Motta's 800th career win on March
28 against Washington.
As always, the Mavericks protected the ball-for
the fifth straight year they led the NBA in fewest turnovers,
with 14.7 per game. As teams throughout the league began to use
the three-point shot as a regular part of offensive strategy and
not just as a gimmick or bailout, Dallas continued to lead the
pack in treys. The Mavericks made 231 three-pointers and averaged
116.7 points. Donaldson shattered the club rebounding record and
led all NBA centers with 11.9 boards per game.
Dallas, which hadn't lost more than two games in
a row during the season, melted under playoff pressure. In the
opening game against Seattle the Mavericks set 11 club playoff
records in a 151-129 victory. Then the wheels came off as Dallas
dropped three straight to the Sonics, who were led in scoring
by former Mavericks player Dale Ellis, reborn in Seattle as one
of the NBA's top three-point marksmen.
After the 1986-87 season Dick Motta unexpectedly
resigned as head coach, and the reins were turned over to John
MacLeod. MacLeod had coached the previous 14 seasons with the
Phoenix Suns, compiling a 579-543 record. He had guided the Suns
to the playoffs nine times and to the NBA Finals in 1976.
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1987-88: One Game Shy of the Finals
The 1987-88 Mavericks maintained the pace they
had set the previous season, slipping only two games in the victory
column to a 53-29 record. MacLeod collected his 600th career victory
on January 13 when Dallas beat the Indiana Pacers, with Roy Tarpley
grabbing 23 rebounds in the game. Mark Aguirre and James Donaldson
played in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game in February. Then, beginning
on February 14, the Mavericks ran off a club-record 11-game winning
streak. On February 24, during the sixth game of the streak, Blackman
scored his 10,000th career point.
With an April 15 loss, Dallas fell out of first
place in the Midwest Division for the first time since December
21. After 110 days at the top, the club was displaced by Denver
and finished the year one game behind the Nuggets.
For the sixth consecutive season Aguirre led the
team in scoring, with 25.1 points per game. Tarpley won the NBA
Sixth Man Award by averaging 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.
Dallas enjoyed its finest postseason run in 1988.
After dumping the Houston Rockets in four games and Denver in
six, the Mavericks found themselves in the Western Conference
Finals for the first time in team history. All that stood between
Dallas and the NBA Finals were the defending NBA-champion Lakers.
The Mavericks gave the Lakers all they could handle in the series,
but Los Angeles's playoff experience prevailed. The Lakers won
the seventh and deciding game, 117-102.
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1988-90: Mavericks Miss Playoffs; Regroup
Injuries plagued the 1988-89 Mavericks, who saw
their record tumble to 38-44. It was Dallas's first losing season
and first time out of the playoffs since 1982-83. The Mavericks
started the campaign 9-3 before chaos descended. By January the
team was beginning to swerve out of control. Roy Tarpley was suspended
indefinitely on January 5 for violating the league's antidrug
policy. A week later the disoriented Mavericks lost their sixth
straight game.
In mid-February the Mavericks sent Mark Aguirre
to the soon-to-be NBA champion Detroit Pistons in exchange for
Adrian Dantley. Both were superbly talented players with reputations
for moodiness. When Dantley heard about the trade he refused to
report to Dallas, although he finally showed up eight days later.
While Dantley was still holding out, Dallas traded Detlef Schrempf
to Indiana for Herb Williams. The versatile Schrempf eventually
won two NBA Sixth Man Awards with the Pacers before joining a
talent-laden Seattle team in 1993.
On March 10 James Donaldson went down with a ruptured
patella tendon, was carried off the floor on a stretcher, and
missed the rest of the season. The decimated Dallas team had lost
several key players, had suffered emotional turmoil, and had a
tough time regaining its mental focus. The remainder of the year
(which included a 12-game losing streak in March) was simply time
spent waiting for the offseason.
The Mavericks bounced back in 1989-90, returning
to the playoffs with a 47-35 record. Dallas was still a solid,
talented, defense-minded team, with a roster that included Adrian
Dantley, Herb Williams, Roy Tarpley, Sam Perkins, Rolando Blackman,
and Derek Harper.
However, it was another tumultuous season. On November
15, six games into the schedule, Tarpley was arrested for driving
while intoxicated and resisting arrest. After 11 games and a 5-6
record, Coach John MacLeod was replaced by Assistant Coach Richie
Adubato. The team struggled to midseason but then put together
modest winning streaks of seven, five, and six games. Harper scored
a career-high 42 points on December 29 against Portland. Donaldson,
Dallas's all-time leading rebounder, pulled down 27 boards in
the same game.
The team surged at the end of the year. On April
4 the Mavericks tied the biggest comeback in club history, surging
from 19 points down to defeat the San Antonio Spurs. Sam Perkins
scored a career-high 45 points on April 12 to lead Dallas to a
win at Golden State. The Mavericks closed out the season with
four straight victories, then drew the Portland Trail Blazers
in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers blitzed Dallas
in three straight on their way to the NBA Finals.
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1990-91: A Fall From Contention
After a strong showing in 1989-90, the debacle
of 1988-89 appeared to have been nothing more than a brief detour.
The Mavs seemed to be back on track; however, the track would
prove to lead right off the edge of a cliff. All NBA teams evolve
through cycles of success, decline, and rebuilding, but this was
different. The Mavericks went into a free fall the likes of which
have seldom been seen in the NBA. Within a couple of seasons they
would be one of the worst teams in the league, not even competitive
with a new flock of expansion franchises, and flirting with league
records for futility.
The Mavericks' roster continued to change. Sam Perkins
went to the Lakers as a free agent in 1990, and Rodney McCray,
Fat Lever, and Alex English-all near the ends of their careers-made
their first Mavericks appearances. Virtually all of the remaining
starters suffered injuries in 1990-91, and the team plummeted
to 28-54, a record which was bettered by both the expansion Orlando
Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The team's problems began early. On November 6 Roy
Tarpley led the Mavericks to a victory over the New York Knicks
by scoring 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Three nights later
it was announced that Fat Lever would have surgery on his right
knee and be lost for the year. In that night's game Tarpley went
down with a kneecap injury and was also lost for the season. With
Tarpley and Lever out, the club fell into a nosedive.
On November 28 Rolando Blackman passed Mark Aguirre
to become Dallas's all-time leading scorer. That milestone was
barely noticed amid the tumult of the season. In March the Tarpley
story took another unfortunate turn. He was charged with suspicion
of driving while intoxicated and was again suspended by the NBA.
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1991-92: Rebuilding Begins
The 1991-92 season was another struggle as the
Mavericks fell to 22-60. On October 16 Tarpley was banned from
the NBA for violating the league's substance abuse policy for
a third time. It was a sad turn of events for a man whose career
had once held great promise. Tarpley had been voted to the 1986-87
NBA All-Rookie Team and initially sought treatment following that
season. In 1987-88 he won the NBA Sixth Man Award, averaging 13.5
points and 11.8 rebounds. In the middle of the 1988-89 campaign
he was suspended for 49 games. He missed the final 77 games of
the 1990-91 season after injuring his right knee. Tarpley played
in only 69 of 246 games from 1989-90 through 1991-92 because of
injuries and suspensions. During that time the Mavericks were
45-24 (.652) with him and 68-109 (.384) without him.
The team had only a handful of good players left,
and what talent it did have was diluted by a rash of injuries.
A back problem ended Brad Davis's career in mid-January. Fat Lever
had knee surgery on January 29 and missed the rest of the season.
During his prime years with the Denver Nuggets he had been one
of the league's most versatile players at the guard spot. But
Lever, who had cost the Mavericks two first-round draft picks,
played only 35 games in three seasons because of knee injuries.
All of the team records set during the season were
unwanted ones: a 15-game losing streak in March; a 26-game road
losing streak; an all-time team-low and NBA season-worst 97.6
points per game; a franchise-worst .439 field-goal percentage.
Dallas was held to fewer than 90 points 19 times. Recognizing
a pattern, the franchise began unloading its veterans and started
to rebuild.
Prior to the 1992-93 season Dallas sent Rolando
Blackman to the New York Knicks in exchange for a first-round
draft pick. Blackman departed the Mavericks as the most popular
player in franchise history and the team's all-time leading scorer.
In 11 seasons with Dallas, Blackman had scored 16,643 points (19.2
ppg) and had made four All-Star Game appearances.
Herb Williams went to New York via free agency.
And Fat Lever underwent more surgery and missed the entire 1992-93
season. The only remnant of the team's glory days was 10-year
veteran Derek Harper, who led the Mavericks in scoring in 1992-93
with 18.2 points per game.
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1992-93: Mavericks Escape Futility Mark
Dallas banked its future on young players, not
the least of whom was Jim Jackson, selected by the Mavericks with
the fourth overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. But Jackson and
owner Donald Carter could not agree on contract terms, resulting
in a prolonged holdout that kept Jackson off the team for more
than half the season.
With its veterans gone and its young players yet
to arrive, Dallas simply did not have the talent or experience
to be competitive in the NBA in 1992-93. After a run of successful
draft picks in the early years of the franchise, the Mavericks
had hit a slump in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Top 10 selections
such as Doug Smith and Randy White, while competent NBA players,
did not become the superstars many had predicted they would be.
So, with a roster depleted by trades, injuries,
and a contract dispute, the Mavericks stumbled through the 1992-93
season. It was a nightmarish campaign, with losing streaks of
12, 15, and 19 games. On January 13, with the Mavs' record at
2-27, Richie Adubato was fired as coach and replaced by Assistant
Coach Gar Heard. Heard won his first game six days later, snapping
a 15-game losing streak.
As the season wound down, suspense built as the
Mavericks came dangerously close to posting the worst record in
league history. The yardstick was the 9-73 mark turned in by the
Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73; after 61 games Dallas stood at
4-57.
However, the signing of Jackson on March 3, coupled
with the announcement that Quinn Buckner would take over as coach
the next season, gave the team the emotional boost necessary to
avoid infamy. Jackson appeared in the Mavericks' last 28 games,
averaging 16.3 points. In the final 21 contests he helped the
team to a 7-14 record, including two straight victories to close
out the year and finish at 11-71.
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1993-94: Team Tabs Quinn But Doesn't Win
The reins were turned over to Quinn Buckner for
1993-94. An intelligent performer, Buckner had always played for
winners, beginning in college at the University of Indiana and
then continuing in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics,
and Indiana Pacers. Although his statistics were modest in his
NBA seasons, Buckner's teams compiled a .619 winning percentage.
The hope was that some of his winning attitude would rub off on
his squad.
The Mavericks selected the University of Kentucky's
Jamal Mashburn with the fourth overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.
The versatile, 6-8 forward was expected to provide frontcourt
scoring and team with Jackson to form a solid nucleus. Still,
Dallas faced a long, steep climb to erase its reputation as the
league's doormat.
The NBA continued to wipe its feet on the Mavericks
in 1993-94. With Jackson and Mashburn on board, the team appeared
to be in better shape and did show a modicum of improvement. However,
Buckner's strict style didn't catch on initially, and Dallas limped
to a 1-23 start and a 3-40 record by the end of January.
With the specter of compiling the worst record in
history looming once again, pressure mounted on the Mavericks.
Buckner eased up, and the team responded with loose yet sometimes
energetic play. The Mavericks went 5-8 in both February and April
to finish at 13-69. They had the Minnesota Timberwolves to thank
for saving them from infamy-Dallas notched 5 of its 13 victories
against the Wolves.
Despite the difficult season, the Mavericks' two
young guns showed signs of future greatness. Mashburn led all
NBA rookies with an average of 19.2 points per game, and Jackson
exhibited triple-double potential, leading the team in assists
(4.6 apg), tying Mashburn in scoring, and finishing second on
the squad in rebounding (4.7 rpg).
At the end of the season Dallas management fired
Buckner and brought back Dick Motta, the franchise's first head
coach and the architect of its successful teams of the 1980s.
The Mavericks also added another big-time talent, nabbing University
of California point guard Jason Kidd with the second overall pick
in the 1994 NBA Draft. Return to
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1994-95: New Kidd Sparks Mavs Turnaround
The Mavericks moved forward dramatically in 1994-95.
After having gone 13-69 the previous season, Dallas posted a 23-game
improvement and finished at 36-46, the biggest turnaround in club
history and the greatest improvement in the NBA for the season.
The 36 wins were 12 more than the Mavericks had managed in the
previous two seasons combined.
A major catalyst for the turnaround was rookie point
guard Jason Kidd, who led the NBA in triple-doubles with 4 and
averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists on the year.
For his efforts, Kidd was named co-Rookie of the Year along with
the Detroit Pistons' Grant Hill. Kidd finished 10th in the league
in assists and 7th in steals. In Dallas's 156-147 double-overtime
win over the Houston Rockets on April 11, Kidd registered a triple-double
(including 38 points) and hit a trio of three-pointers in the
final 55 seconds of the first overtime.
Kidd was part of a core of young and talented Mavericks
players that also included Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn, who
combined as the league's highest-scoring pair of teammates. Both
led players at their position for much of the year. The youthful
Mashburn finished fifth in the NBA with an average of 24.1 points
per game. Jackson severely sprained his ankle in February and
missed the remainder of the campaign; although he averaged 25.7
points, he didn't score enough points to qualify for the leaderboard.
Second-year forward Popeye Jones also had a fine
year. His average of 10.6 rebounds per game was good enough for
10th in the NBA. Jones snatched 329 offensive rebounds, more than
any other NBA player. Roy Tarpley, who had been banned from the
league in 1991 for violating its antidrug program, was reinstated
by the NBA prior to the 1994-95 season. He rejoined the Mavericks
and contributed 12.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
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1995-96: Carter, Motta Era Ends in Disappointment
After showing such promise in 1994-95, the Mavericks
suffered a disappointing 95-96 campaign that resulted in only
26 wins, the end of Dick Motta's second tenure with the Mavericks,
and the first ownership change in team history.
Before the season, several players talked about
taking the next step forward in their rebuilding - a trip to the
postseason. A 4-0 start seemed to back up their words. But injuries,
the lack of an inside presence, the absence of veteran leadership
and internal strife all helped seal the Mavericks' fate.
After only 18 games, Jamal Mashburn's season ended
when he had surgery to repair a sore left knee. Jackson and Kidd
sometimes had trouble getting along, but neither had trouble establishing
himself as a star. Kidd became the first Maverick to start in
an All-Star Game, and finished the season second in the NBA in
assists (9.7) and fourth in steals (2.2). Jackson led the team
in scoring (19.6) and was the only Maverick to play in all 82
games.
In the absence of an inside threat, the Mavericks
offense degenerated into a barrage of three-point shooting that
helped the Mavericks set a single-season record for three-point
goals made (735) and attempted (2,039). George McCloud re-emerged
on the NBA scene with an average of 18.9 ppg in place of Mashburn,
and connected on a 257 threes, the second best total in league
history.
At season's end, Dick Motta was replaced by Bulls'
assistant coach Jim Cleamons, and controlling interest in the
club was sold by Donald Carter to a group of investors headed
by Ross Perot, Jr., son of the former presidential candidate.
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1996-97: Mavericks Revamp, Rebuild
The Mavericks began the 1996-97 with the "Three
J's" and the optimism of a new head coach. By season's end, Jason
Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson all had new addresses,
and Head Coach Jim Cleamons had used an NBA-record 27 players.
The lack of continuity led to a 24-58 finish, but Cleamons is
hopeful the Mavericks now have the ingredients in place for a
winning team.
In December, the Mavericks aggresively began their
pursuit of a new direction, trading Kidd, Tony Dumas and Loren
Meyer to Phoenix for A.C. Green, Sam Cassell and Michael Finley.
That trade, made to improve the team's chemistry, proved to be
only the beginning of a complete roster overhaul.
On February 7, the team hired Don Nelson as general
manager to oversee the rebuilding. Nelson wasted little time.
Within a week, the team waived Oliver Miller and Fred Roberts,
and traded Mashburn to Miami for Kurt Thomas, Sasha Danilovic
and Martin Muursepp.
Ten days later, the Mavericks and New Jersey Nets
completed one of the biggest trades in NBA history. Dallas sent
Jackson, Cassell, Eric Montross, George McCloud and Chris Gatling
(who days earlier represented the Mavericks in the All-Star Game)
to New Jersey. In return, they received center Shawn Bradley,
forward Ed O'Bannon and guards Robert Pack and Khalid Reeves.
When all was said and done, only Derek Harper and
rookie Samaki Walker remained from the opening day roster. Harper,
a popular one-time Maverick who re-signed as a free agent, became
only the 10th player in NBA history to collect 15,000 points and
6,000 assists.
The Mavericks headed into the 1997-98 season hoping
to build around a nucleus that included NBA shotblocking leader
Bradley (13.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.40 bpg), Finley (15.0 ppg), Pack
(14.3 ppg, 8.4 apg) and Erick Strickland, an undrafted free agent
who contributed 10.3 ppg in his rookie season, eighth among all
NBA rookies.
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1997-98: Big Wins, But Not Enough Wins
Unfortunately, an NBA season is judged on the quantity
-- not the quality -- of your wins. In the history books, the
Dallas Mavericks' 1997-98 season will go down as a 20-62 campaign,
but the Mavericks wowed crowds all season with wins over the unlikeliest
of foes.
The Mavericks spoiled the Seattle SuperSonics' home
opener on Nov. 1, outscoring Seattle 23-2 over the final 5:01
to steal the 89-81 win. On December 4, with Dallas struggling
at 4-12, General Manager Don Nelson relieved Coach Jim Cleamons
of his duties and took over as head coach. Nelson's debut featured
another surprise showing by the Mavericks, who handily beat the
10-6 New York Knicks, 105-91, behind a team-high 27 points from
Michael Finley.
Finley, the team leader in points (21.5 ppg), assists
(4.9 apg) and steals (1.61 spg), was the only constant for the
Mavericks during a season marked by the coaching change and an
injury bug that sidelined Robert Pack and Kurt Thomas for most
of the season, and also bit Shawn Bradley and Samaki Walker, Cedric
Ceballos and Chris Anstey for extended periods.
Like upset wins, big nights from Finley were a trend
that would continue throughout the season. Finley scored 29 (and
Erick Strickland had a career-high 30) as the Sonics were victimized
again, 107-98, on Jan. 20. One week later, the 25-16 Cleveland
Cavaliers were the unsuspecting recipients of an 84-77 overtime
loss at the hands of the Mavericks, in which Finley posted a career-high
39 points and 10 rebounds.
All of the aforementioned upsets, and later wins
over Indiana, Washington and Minnesota, were just tune-ups for
the main event, an improbable 104-97 overtime win over Chicago.
Trailing 89-74 with 3:44 remaining, Dallas outscored the defending
World Champions 17-2 down the stretch to force overtime.
The most noteworthy individual accomplishment was
achieved on Nov. 20, when forward A.C. Green appeared in his 907th
consecutive game, setting a new NBA record. Green, who has not
missed a game since Nov. 18, 1986, was honored during the game
for his streak, which stood at 978 games by season's end.
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1998-99: Home, Sweet Home
For Dallas fans, each home game during the 1998-99
season was a chance to watch one of the NBA's best young players
and, more often than not, to see a Mavericks victory.
Although the Mavs went 19-31, they posted a winning
home record (15-10) for the first time since 1989-90. Dallas finished
up strong with an 8-7 overall record in April as they beat playoff-bound
teams from San Antonio, Phoenix, Minnesota and Houston (twice).
Fourth-year guard Michael Finley, a star on the
rise, scored 20.2 points per game and was one of only 10 NBA players
with at least 1,000 points in the lockout-shortened season. Forward
Gary Trent also played well, averaging 16 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Cedric Ceballos had a solid start to the season,
averaging 12.5 points in 13 games. But the veteran forward missed
the rest of the season after breaking both wrists Feb. 25 against
Denver.
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1999-2000: Mavs Finish Strong
It's been some time since the Dallas Mavericks tasted
the fruits of victory on a consistent basis. The 1999-2000 season
didn't offer any promise of changing that. But what started as
a season of disjointedness, injury, and confusion, finished with
cohesion, health and a sense of purpose. And while Dallas failed
to make the playoffs for the 10th straight season, the Mavericks
tasted success and are optimismistic about reaching postseason
next season.
A 30-18 finish over the season's second half, including
a league-best 9-1 month of April, gave the team its first 40-win
season since 1989-90.
Michael Finley is the foundation up which Dallas
will do it's building. The 6-7 swingman led the league in minutes
(42.2) and finished among the league leaders in scoring (11th
at 22.6 ppg) and assists (20th at 5.3). He played in all 82 games,
stretching his consecutive games streak to 379, second in the
NBA.
The five-year veteran put up career-bests in scoring
and rebounding (6.3), recorded four triple-doubles and was one
of only four players to average more than 20 points, 5 rebounds
and 5 assists. The others were Kevin Garnett, Grant Hill and Gary
Payton.
Dirk Nowitzki made great strides in his second NBA
season. The only other Mav to play all 82 games, Nowitzki finished
second on the team in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg)
and minutes (35.8). The athletic seven-footer shot 37.9 percent
from three-point range and finished 15th in the NBA with 116 three-pointers.
At NBA All-Star Weekend, Nowitzki finished second in the three-point
shootout.
With the new ownership, a young nucleus, the 12th
pick in this year's first-round, and the addition of Harris, Heard,
and former NBA great Sidney Moncrief to the coaching staff, expectations
in Dallas are, and should be, high.
Return to top of page
2000-2001: Mavs Leave Reunion On Winning Note
The Mavs finished up the ´99-00 season strong
and looked to continue that success for the final season in Reunion
Arena. The 2000-01 campaign was the club°s most successful in
over a decade as the team finished with a 53-29 record and posted
the first 50-win season in 13 years (third in team history). The
Mavs finished in the top five of the NBA in points per game (100.5),
field goal percentage (45.9%), free-throw percentage (79.4) and
three-point field goal percentage (38.1) and had the most road
victories in franchise history with 25. These wins set the pace
for the Mavs first-ever winning road record. In addition, the
club defeated every team in the Eastern Conference at least once
for the first time in franchise history.
The Mavs made a blockbuster trade minutes before the trade deadline
that sent Hubert Davis, Christian Laettner, Courtney Alexander
and Etan Thomas to the Washington Wizards for Juwan Howard, Calvin
Booth and Obinna Ekezie.
This move helped the club secure fifth place in the Midwest Division
and the club°s first playoff visit in 11 years, ending the longest
playoff drought in the NBA.
As the fifth seed in the Western Conference, the Mavs were matched
up against the Utah Jazz in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs.
After the first two games the Mavs found themselves in a 0-2 deficit,
but were prepared to fight at home for games three and four. After
tying the series up at 2-2, Game Five was played in Utah.
To keep the Jazz from having complete home-court advantage, Cuban
found a way to have some ¿Reunion Rowdiesî in attendance by giving
away free tickets to Mavs fans that found their way to Utah and
painted themselves in Mavs colors. In an amazing, heart-stopping
game the Mavs pulled off the upset and beat the Jazz, 84-83, and
advanced to the Second Round for the first time since 1988. With
this First Round victory, the Mavs became the sixth team in playoff
history to erase a 0-2 deficit and win a five-game series.
In the Second Round of the NBA Playoffs, the Mavs took on intrastate
rival San Antonio. Although the Mavs gave it a valiant effort,
the Spurs took the series 4-1 and knocked the Mavs out of the
playoffs.
In addition to the team°s success, there were also some individual
accomplishments:
- Michael Finley played in his 461st consecutive game.
- Dirk Nowitzki became the second player in league history
to have more than 100 three-pointers (151) made and 100 blocks
(101) in a season. [Robert Horry did it in 1995-96 with Houston
(143 three°s and 109 blocks)].
- Nowitzki became the first Maverick in franchise history
to earn All-NBA honors as he was named to the league°s third
team.
- Sports Illustrated selected Head Coach/General Manager
Don Nelson as ¿Executive of the Yearî and Michael Finley and
Dirk Nowitzki to the third team All-NBA.
With an incredible season complete, the Mavericks helped close
out Reunion Arena in a winning fashion and looked forward to showcasing
the club°s talent in the team°s new home, American Airlines Center.
Return to top of page
2001-2002: Mavs Begin New Era In New Arena
With the 2000-01 season setting the standard for
Mavericks basketball, the 2001-02 team raised the bar in their
pursuit to win a championship. The season began with the opening
of the brand new, state-of-the-art American Airlines Center and
another record-breaking season swung into action.
The Mavs set a franchise record for 57 wins in a season and became
one of four teams in the NBA to post consecutive 50-win seasons.
The team also had 38 sellouts for the season (fourth most in franchise
history). The club set the NBA record for fewest turnovers (averged
12.1 a game), surpassing the Pistons° mark from 1996-97. The Mavs
had the best road record in the NBA with 27 victories, led the
NBA in free-throw shooting (80.6 %), average points per game (105.2)
and ranked fourth in the NBA in field goal and three-point percentage.
In February, the 2002 NBA All-Star Game was held in Philadelphia
and the Mavs had the largest representation in team history with
two players and a coach on the Western Conference team. Head Coach
Don Nelson led the helm as Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash helped
the West beat the East, 135-120.
For the second straight season the Mavs pulled off a blockbuster
trade minutes before the deadline. This time the club sent Juwan
Howard, Tim Hardaway and Donnell Harvey to the Denver Nuggets
in exchange for Raef LaFrentz, Nick Van Exel, Tariq Abdul-Wahad
and Avery Johnson.
After finishing the season 57-25, the Mavs were seeded second
in the Midwest and took on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the First
Round of the NBA Playoffs. For the first time in team history,
the Mavs swept a team in the Playoffs. The club also set a NBA
record for the highest free-throw percentage in a three-game series
(87.7%).
For the second consecutive season, the Mavs advanced to the Second
Round of the NBA Playoffs and faced Western Conference leader
Sacramento and for the second straight year the Mavs were outmatched.
The team lost the series 4-2.
As the Mavs continue to improve as a team, individual players
are making their mark in the record books.
Dirk Nowitzki consistently recorded outstanding performances throughout
the season and playoffs. On February 23 vs. Sacramento, Nowitzki
set the league record for the most defensive rebounds in a game
(21) without pulling down an offensive one. Nowitzki earned All-NBA
honors for the second straight season, was selected to the NBA°s
Western Conference All-Star team for the first time and was chosen
as the Western Conference Player of the Week for January 21-27th.
Nowitzki posted 38 double-doubles (points and rebounds) for the
season and for the first time in his career he was forced to miss
a game (4) due to an injury. In the First Round of the Playoffs,
Dirk was one rebound shy of the NBA Playoff record of 43 and also
joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only other player since 1970
to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in four-straight
playoff games.
Steve Nash earned All-NBA honors and finished third in the NBA°s
Most Improved Award. For the first time in his career, Nash played
in all 82 games and was the only Maverick to do so. He was selected
to the Western Conference All-Star team for the first time and
was also chosen as the Western Conference Player of the Week for
December 10-16th. Nash recorded 20 double-doubles for the season
for points and assists.
Michael Finley scored his 10,000th point on March 23 vs. Memphis.
Finley was named Western Conference Player of the Week for April
8-14th. A strained hamstring ended Finley°s consecutive games
played at 490. This was the longest active streak in the NBA.
Raef LaFrentz became the third player in league history to record
100 three°s and 100 blocks in a season, joining teammate Dirk
Nowitzki (2000-01) and Robert Horry (1995-96). Avery Johnson became
the fifth player in NBA history to play for all three Texas teams
(Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant, Vernon Maxwell and David Wood are
the other four).
Head Coach/General Manager Don Nelson coached his second All-Star
game in February and became the third coach in NBA history to
record 1,000 wins (only Lenny Wilkins and Pat Riley have more
wins).
What, then, does this mean for the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks? There
is certainly a bright light at the end of the new American Airlines
Center tunnel. With the new season on the horizon, the Mavs are
focused on continuing the record-breaking trend and have high
hopes of winning it all.
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2002-2003: Mavs Reach New Heights
The 2002-03 season for the Dallas Mavericks established
their position as one of the elite teams in the NBA and produced
many team and individual achievements. After starting the season
on fire and winning their first 14 games, the Mavericks made franchise
history by finishing the season with a 60-22 mark, that eclipsed
the 2001-02 season record of 57-25. The 60-22 record was the team's
ninth winning season in franchise history and also made Dallas
one of three NBA teams to post 50 wins in three consecutive seasons.
Dallas became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the NBA
in mid March. The Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference
Finals for the first time since 1988, before bowing out to the
eventual World Champion, San Antonio Spurs in six games. The Mavericks
playoff run consisted of 20 games marking the longest post season
run in Mavs history.
The Mavericks where guided by Don Nelson, in his 25th year as
a head coach, to their 60-22 record. Nellie has led Dallas to
a better record in each of the last four seasons. Only seven other
coaches in NBA history have ever accomplished this amazing feat.
Nellie has led teams to 50 win seasons 12 times and now has coached
two teams to 60 win seasons. Nellie was named the Western Conference
Coach of the Month in November.
Along with the guidance of Don Nelson, the Mavericks "Big Three"
of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley combined once
again for a powerful punch. Dirk joined Mark Aguirre as the only
Maverick to score 2,000 points or more in a single season. While
scoring his 2,011 points, Nowitzki continued to show his versatility
ranking first on the team in points (25.1), rebounds (9.9) and
steals (1.35) as well as averaging 39 minutes per game. Nowitzki
has improved each year with the Mavericks as he has increased
his scoring average over each of the last five seasons.
Steve Nash continued to prove why he is one of the top point guards
in the NBA by ranking as the team's third leading scorer (17.7
ppg) and the top assist man with 7.3 apg. This season he recorded
career highs in free throws made and attempted, free throw percentage,
steals and total blocks. Nash set a franchise record by making
an unbelievable 49 free throws in a row. That mark surpassed current
player development coach, Rolando Blackman's record of 45 consecutive
free throws.
The third member of the "Big Three" Michael Finley played outstanding
basketball for the Mavericks during the 2002-03 season. The two-time
All-Star reached the 10,000 point mark for his Maverick career
and became the fourth all-time leading scorer in Mavericks history.
Finley averaged 19.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.0 apg and played an incredible
38.3 mpg. Finley also set career highs in points (42), rebounds
(15), three pointers made (7), free throws made (15) and attempted
(17).
Nowitzki, Nash and Finley were all named November's Western Conference
Player of the Month for the impressive numbers they accumulated.
Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were both once again named to the
2002 NBA Western Conference All-Star team for the second consecutive
season.
The excitement of the 2002-03 season spread throughout the Metroplex
and interest in the Mavericks reached new heights. The Mavs recorded
a franchise-record 41 regular season sellouts and it was the first
time in Mavs history that all homes games were sold out. The Mavericks
have now sold out American Airlines Center for 71 consecutive
regular season games dating back to the 2001-02 season.
With the new expectations and goals, the Mavericks look poised
to make a run for the Championship in 2003-04.
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