The Dallas Mavericks Strive to Win an NBA Finals Their Way

No Dallas Mavericks fan will ever forget 2006, when the Mavs reached their first NBA finals. While it was certainly a year for the records, that year was the third in which the Mavs had reached the Conference Finals. In fact, they interestingly ended their regular seasons twice as Division Champions, during two other seasons. Since the 1980-1981 season, the Mavericks have been making NBA history.

How did the Mavericks become the "Mavericks"? A "name the team" contest included 4,600 entries, resulting in three finalists. The losing finalist names included the Express and the Wranglers. Essentially, a maverick is a person who is unconventional and independent.

Prior to the 1980-1981 season, Donald Carter spent $12 million to buy an NBA expansion team, which became the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks focused on landing young players, but the plan backfired when the #1 pick, Kiki Vandeweghe, refused to sign with the Mavericks. Instead, the Mavs traded him to the Denver Nuggets.

The Mavericks won their franchise opening game 103-92, defeating the San Antonio Spurs. Ironically, the Spurs had been the Dallas Chaparrals in the American Basketball Association (ABA). By the end of the season, the Mavs had earned a less-than-impressive 15-67 record. However, the good news was that there was much room for improvement.

The Mavericks continued to improve, and then won their first Division Title during the 1986-1987 season. In fact, they earned an outstanding record of 55-27. They also had the fewest turnovers in the NBA, for the fifth consecutive year! However, the Seattle Supersonics eliminated the Mavs in the first round of the playoffs.

During the following year, the Dallas Mavericks continued to achieve excellence. They finished the season with a 53-29 record, and second place in the Midwest Division. The Mavericks then disposed of the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets. However, afterwards they lost a heartbreaking series in the Western Conference Finals, falling to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

Nearly two decades later, the Dallas Mavericks returned to prominence in the NBA. They ended the season with an outstanding 60-22 record, though finished three games behind the San Antonio Spurs. The NBA awarded the Mavs' Avery Johnson with its "Coach of the Year" award. After easily defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, the Mavs EC Comics their nemesis, the Spurs. The Mavericks took a 3-1 series lead, but had to beat the Spurs in Game 7 (and in overtime). The Mavs had less success against Dwyane Wade and the Heat, losing the NBA Finals series, 4-2.

In the following year, the Dallas Mavericks played an incredible regular season, earning a 67-15 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Mavs faced the Golden State Warriors, who had defeated them three times during the regular season. The Mavericks constantly played catch-up during the series, but eventually lost it 4-2.

Since joining the NBA, the Dallas Mavericks have experienced seasons with ups and down. Cheer on the Mavs with Dallas Mavericks merchandise, as they strive to reach the NBA Finals again, experiencing a different result.

Rick 1955 Topps baseball cards is an avid sports fan. Most of Rick's articles focus on href="booyahvillage.com/nba-dallas-mavericks.html">Dallas mavericks merchandise. Many articles are related to href="booyahvillage.com/nba.html">NBA collectibles and other sports related topics. Rick is a contributing author to BooYah Village