BEHIND THE BANNER
JUNE 24 EDITION
ONE FOR DALLAS:
HOW THE 2024 MAVS’ TURNED DOUBTERS INTO DREAMERS BY: MAC ENGEL
The main hall of the Dallas Mavericks’ headquarters is a mini Mavs Museum that tells the story of a franchise that began in 1980 where its first practice court was in a church, 10 feet shorter than a regulation NBA floor.
Mavericks through most of the ‘90s, when they posted 10 consecutive losing seasons and were one of the worst professional sports franchises in North America, what this franchise is today feels closer to impossible.
For the precious few who had the patience to watch the expansion Mavericks during their inaugural season, when they finished an NBA worst 15-67, what this team morphed into is more like one of those miracles that never happen “to your team.” For those who could stomach the
What they achieved in the 2023-’24 season is consistent with a franchise that this century has become one of the better NBA teams. But among their many 50-win seasons, achievements and postseason runs, what they did in the spring of 2024 stands near the very top because no one saw it coming.