Founded in 1980, the Dallas Mavericks compete in the Southwest division of the Western Conference in the NBA. They play their home games at the American Airlines center and broke the sellout record in 2020, with 815 regular and playoff games selling out.
Dallas Mavericks was owned by Mark Cuban, who recently sold the franchise to Miriam Adelson and Patrick Dumont. However, Cuban still keeps control of the basketball operations and continues to own a minority stake in the franchise. Mavericks GM is Nico Harrison and their head coach is Jason Kidd, a former All-Star player for the Mavs.
In the 1980s, Mavericks were a perennial playoff team, making the playoffs six times in this decade. Their star players at the time were Rolando Blackman, Mark Aguiree and Derek Harper. Mavericks first playoff series win came in the 1984 playoffs, where they defeated the Seattle Supersonics. The team reached the Western Conference finals in their furthest playoff run in 1988.
In the 1990s, Mavericks suffered and didn't make the playoffs for 10 straight seasons. The only bright spot was they had a young and skilled core of players who they drafted and traded for like Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash. The Mavs for the first time registered a winning regular season record in the 2000-01 season (53-29).
In the Dirk Nowitzki era, Mavs flourished with the Finley-Dirk-Nash offensive trio that could score and dominate any defense. However, in 2004, after losing Nash in free agency, the Mavericks brought Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse and Erick Dampier which helped them move past the Conference finals and make their first ever finals appearance in 2006 and later on helping them win the 2011 NBA title.
In 2018, Dallas traded for Luka Doncic, giving away Trae Young and Cam Reddish. Luka has now solidified himself as the franchise player and has led them to the Conference finals and multiple playoffs. He would be looking to follow in the footsteps of Dirk Nowitzki and bring back the glory days for the Dallas Mavericks.
How many times has the Dallas Mavericks made the playoffs?
The Dallas Mavericks have made the playoffs 24 times in their 43 years of franchise history which equals to a 52% success rate of making the playoffs. The Mavs' first playoff appearance came in the 1983-84 season, in which they lost in the second-round to the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. In the 1980s, Mavericks made the playoffs and were a contender. The 90s were a disaster, not making a single playoff appearance during the decade.
The Mavericks golden generation started in 2001, making the playoffs 15 times in 16 years, including two NBA Finals appearances, winning one of them in 2011. The team’s last playoff appearance came in 2022 where they lost to eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors in five games.
Dallas Mavericks Playoff Record
The Dallas Mavericks have a 105-122 record in the playoffs all-time. The Mavericks have won 46% of their playoff matches. The Mavs have won 19 playoff series in their history and have one NBA title to their name as of March 2024.
Since 2000-01, the Dallas Mavericks are ranked seventh for most wins by a team in the playoffs, with 84 wins and are ranked fifth for most matches played in playoffs with 179 matches played.
The Dallas Mavericks’ most impressive playoff run came in 2010-11, where they were the third seed in the west. They defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games in the first round and then dismantled the defending champions and the number one seed the LA Lakers (led by Kobe Bryant) in four games in the second round. They then beat the young core of Oklahoma City Thunder led by Durant/Westbrook/Harden in the Western Conference Finals in five games and made their second NBA Finals.
The Mavs faced the Miami Heat’s “Big three” in the Finals, defeating them in six games and Dirk Nowitzki winning the Finals MVP.
Number of conference championships won by Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have won two Western conference championships in their franchise history. The Mavs defeated the Phoenix Suns in 2006 for their first conference title and extracted revenge on Phoenix for eliminating them in the previous season.
The Mavs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2011 conference finals in five games, winning their second conference title. Dirk Nowitzki wreaked havoc on the OKC defense by averaging 32.0 points over five games. Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion dominated the young core of the OKC.
| Season | Team | Series Score |
| 2005-06 | Phoenix Suns | 4-2 |
| 2010-11 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-1 |
Number of NBA championships won by Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA championship which remains to be their only title. The Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat for their first title.
Dirk Nowitzki averaged 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds, Jason Terry averaged 18.0 points with 1.3 steals, and Jason Kidd averaged 6.3 assists per game. Moreover, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion’s lockdown defense outplayed the Miami Heat’s “Big three.”
| Season | Head Coach | Against | Series Score |
| 2010-11 | Rick Carlisle | Miami Heat | 4-2 |
Dallas Mavericks Last Playoff Appearance
The Dallas Mavericks’ last playoff appearance came in 2022, where they reached the Western conference finals and lost to the eventual NBA champions the Golden State Warriors.
In the first round, the Mavericks defeated the fifth seed Utah Jazz, led by Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in six games, with Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson averaging 29.0 and 27.8 points respectively.
They then faced the previous season’s runner up the Phoenix Suns and the series went to Game 7 where Luka’s Mavs defeated them by 33 points to win the series. The Mavs were down 0-2 at one point of time and they clawed their way back by winning both games 3 and 4. The Phoenix Suns won Game 5 and the Mavs went on to win both games 6 and 7. Luka Doncic scored 33 points in Game 6 and put on a historic 35-point performance in Game 7.
The Mavs were eventually defeated by the Golden State Warriors in the western conference finals in five games.
What is the biggest playoff series comeback in Dallas Mavericks history?
2000-2001
The Mavericks were down 0-2 to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, the Mavs closed out the series by winning the next three games and winning the series 3-2.
2004-05
The Mavericks were down 0-2 to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, but clinched the series by winning the next four games.
2010-11
The Mavericks were down 1-2 to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, but caused an upset and defeated the “Big three” of the Heat (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) in six games.
2021-2022
The Mavericks trailed to the Phoenix Suns twice in the conference semifinals, but made an historic comeback to defeat the Suns in Game 6 and 7, winning the series 4-3. Game 7 was a blowout win for the Mavs, as they found themselves up by 30 points at half-time.
FAQs on Dallas Mavericks Playoff History
A. The Dallas Mavericks were part of the 2010-11 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Miami Heat in six games to win their only NBA title.
A. Dallas’ rivalry with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2000s had some great matchups between Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki. However, the rivalry between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker has created an intense Mavs-Suns rivalry in recent seasons.
A. Yes, the Dallas Mavericks have won an NBA championship, their maiden title in 2011.
A. Dallas Mavericks have won 105 playoff games, 19th most wins in playoff history.
