Although the state already had the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, Dallas has since embraced the Mavericks, proving it to be a great decision indeed.
A chequered history of early success
However, looking at the Mavericks’ honours list, it’s fair to say that Dallas have not been too successful in the four-plus decades they’ve been in existence. It took the Mavericks six years to win their first division, landing the Midwest Division title. However, their run in the postseason play-offs was short-lived, losing 3-1 to the Seattle SuperSonics. That was about as good as it got then, with All-Stars such as Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman leading the way.
During the 1990s, the Mavericks embarked on a period of rebuilding, although the likes of Quinn Buckner flattered to deceive as head coach of the team. In fact, Buckner was fired despite being only one year into a five-year contract with the Mavericks.