2004 Dallas Mavericks

Professional basketball arrived in Dallas in 1980 when the NBA granted an expansion team franchise to real estate developer Donald J. Carter. The Mavericks began NBA play in the 1980-81 season. After a dismal debut season, typical for an expansion club, the Mavericks' administration soon built a competitive team. The Mavericks' draft picks in their first seven years yielded talented players such as guards Rolando Blackman and Derek Harper; forwards Mark Aguirre, Detlef Schrempf, and Roy Tarpley; and center Sam Perkins. However, the Mavs fell off during the 1990's, and they fell under the radar. In a city known for its football fans and the Dallas Cowboys, who play in Texas Stadium, the Dallas Mavericks were all but forgotten.

Dallas registered its first winning season in 1983-84, its fourth season, when the team posted a 43-39 win-loss record and made its first trip to the playoffs. Solid scoring from Aguirre and Blackman helped the Mavericks defeat the Seattle SuperSonics and advance to the conference semifinals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. During the next two years the club posted winning records, and in the 1985-86 season Dallas beat the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs before again falling to the Lakers in the conference semifinals.

With a lineup of Aguirre, Blackman, Harper, Perkins, and center James Donaldson, the Mavericks won 55 games during the 1986-87 season to finish first in the Midwest Division. Aguirre and Blackman again led the team in scoring. Dallas was upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Seattle SuperSonics. The next year Schrempf and Tarpley contributed solid rebounding to the team and the Mavs bested the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets in the first two rounds of the playoffs to earn a place against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. The series lasted seven games with outstanding play from Donaldson, Harper, and Tarpley, but Dallas came up short in the deciding contest.

The Mavericks successful starting lineup was disbanded during the 1988-89 season. Donaldson missed most of the season due to injury, the NBA suspended Tarpley for violating the league's antidrug policy, and the Mavericks traded Aguirre and Schrempf. The team missed the playoffs in the 1988-89 season and two years later slipped to the bottom of the league. The Mavericks won only 22 games in 1991-92 and in each of the next two seasons they threatened to break the NBA's all-time record for fewest victories, winning only 11 games in 1992-93 and 13 in 1993-94. (The record low of 9 wins was set by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1972-73 season).

Last-place finishes gave the Dallas Mavs the opportunity to draft three of the nation's best college players: guard Jim Jackson in 1992, forward Jamal Mashburn in 1993, and guard Jason Kidd in 1994. But injuries slowed both Jackson and Mashburn, and at times the team found it difficult to mold the three explosive players into an effective unit. In the late 1990s Mavericks general manager Don Nelson attempted to rebuild the team with a series of deals, including the trades of Jackson, Mashburn, and Kidd. One deal, a nine-player transaction with the New Jersey Nets, was the largest in NBA history.

But the Mavericks seem to have reawakened with the coming of the new Millennium.

In the 2000-2001 season, the Mavericks moved into the American Airlines Center and since then, they have had 3 consecutive 50-win seasons. Their 2002-2003 Western Conference Finals appearance was their first since 1988, and they also shared the best regular season record with the San Antonio Spurs. Their high-powered offense led the league in points scored per game, and they set a NBA record for fewest turnovers per game at 11.

After having a franchise best season in 2002-2003, and no championships to their credit, Don Nelson's team will be put to the test, no doubt. Gone is Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson. In comes Antwan Jamison -- Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitski will also be key.

The Mavericks are led by All-Star point guard Nash, and fellow captains Nowitzky and Finley. Coach Nelson is sure to lead his team deep into the playoffs this year. Fan friendly owner Mark Cuban will be banking on it.

The Dallas Mavericks have sold out 71 consecutive games since the 2001-2002 season at American Airlines Center, which hosts all the home games of the Mavericks, as well as the Dallas Stars.

Note: The Dallas Mavericks are commonly referred to as the "Dallas Mavs," or just "the Mavs," by their fans.