Editing Dallas Mavericks (section)

==Rivalries==
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}

===Miami Heat===
The Mavericks-Heat rivalry is a testament to when the two teams faced each other in the NBA finals on two occasions. First they came head to head in the [[2006 NBA Finals]], in which the two teams captured their first respective conference titles. The Mavericks came into the series 60–22 with a strong group of players while the Miami Heat came in with a respectable 52–30 record and sported an aging but still strong [[Shaquille O'Neal]] as well as an up-and-coming [[Dwyane Wade]]. Dallas was favored by many in the media to win the series. The Dallas Mavericks won the first two games but Miami went on to sweep the next four and win the NBA championship for the first time in team history.

Both teams saw success over the next few seasons and appeared in the playoffs multiple times, and would ultimately go on to have a rematch in the [[2011 NBA Finals]]. It was also the first time that either team had reached the Finals since 2006. This time, however, Miami was favored to win after the highly publicized signings of [[LeBron James]] and [[Chris Bosh]] to their roster. Dallas came in with a 57–25 record while the Heat came in 58–24. Miami won the first game 92–84, but Dallas went on to win four of the next five and upset the Heat to win the first title in franchise history.

===San Antonio Spurs===
{{main|Mavericks–Spurs rivalry}}
The Mavericks-Spurs rivalry is relatively new but very fierce. It features two teams with Dallas roots—the Spurs began their life in the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] as the Dallas Chaparrals and did not move to San Antonio until 1973. On October 11, 1980, the Mavericks made their NBA debut by defeating the Spurs 103–92. The teams have met numerous times in the playoffs, with the Spurs defeating the Mavericks in 2001, 2003, 2010, and 2014, while the Mavericks defeated the Spurs in 2006 and 2009. The Spurs have won five championships and six conference titles, while the Mavericks have won one championship and three conference titles. The Spurs have won 15 division titles, while the Mavericks have won 5. Both the Spurs and the Mavericks have 3 60-win seasons. This is known as the "I-35 rivalry" because both cities lie on [[Interstate 35]].

The two teams met in the playoffs during the 2000–2001 season with the Spurs winning in five games. Little was made during this series, as the Spurs won their first NBA championship only two years before. The Mavericks, run by a trio of [[Steve Nash]], [[Michael Finley]], and [[Dirk Nowitzki]], had just defeated the [[Utah Jazz]] despite not having home-court advantage and were only starting to meld into a title contender.

The two teams met again in 2003 in the Western Conference finals. Both the Spurs and the Mavericks had 60-win seasons and reached the Western Conference finals after defeating the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and the [[Sacramento Kings]], respectively. Despite having the best season of their history, the Mavericks fell in six games to the Spurs.

The rivalry took on a new meaning in 2005 when, near the end of the regular season, [[Don Nelson]] would resign as head coach of the Mavericks, apparently satisfied with the state of the team, and hand the coaching reins to former Spur [[Avery Johnson]], the [[point guard]] of the 1999 NBA champion Spurs team who hit the game-winning shot against the [[New York Knicks]]. Since Johnson was coached under Spurs' head coach [[Gregg Popovich]], he would be familiar with most, if not all, of Popovich's coaching style and philosophy. During the 2005 off-season, [[Michael Finley]], waived by the Mavericks under the amnesty clause, joined the Spurs in search for the elusive title.

During the 2006 playoffs the two rivals met again. San Antonio won the first game at home 87–85. The Mavericks got revenge the next game, winning 113–91 and evening the series up at 1–1. The Mavericks then won a dramatic Game 3 by a single point, 104–103. Though Manu Ginóbili could have made a game-winning basket with five seconds on the clock, he committed an error, allowing the ball to bounce away from him with one second remaining. Dallas won a tightly contested Game 4 123–118 in overtime. The Spurs proceeded to avoid elimination by taking Game 5. In the final seconds of the game, Jason Terry was seen punching former teammate Michael Finley under the belt, leading to his suspension for Game 6. He was sorely missed as the Spurs won, taking the series back home for a Game 7. In the crucial Game 7, with 2.6 seconds to go, Nowitzki converted a three-point play to force overtime. [[Manu Ginóbili]], who fouled Dirk on the play, had just given San Antonio their first lead one possession earlier. Tim Duncan, who had played in all 48 minutes of regulation, was too fatigued to carry his team in overtime. The Mavericks, meanwhile, were set to take control of the game and they did just that, winning 119–111. The Mavericks went on to the Conference Finals where they defeated the Suns in six games, but succumbed to the champion Heat in the NBA Finals.

Despite much anticipation of a renewed meeting in the 2007 Western Conference finals, the Mavericks lost to the Golden State Warriors in one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. The Spurs won the NBA finals after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–0.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10005744 |title=Dallas Mavericks Upset by Oakland Upstarts |publisher=NPR |date=May 4, 2007 |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119035516/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10005744 |url-status=live}}</ref> The eighth seed Warriors, who made the playoffs on the last game of the NBA season, defeated the 67-win, first-seed Mavericks in six games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270503009 |title=ESPN&nbsp;– Dallas vs. Golden State Recap, May 3, 2007 |publisher=ESPN |date=May 3, 2007 |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519095437/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=270503009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Meanwhile, the Spurs would ultimately go on to win the 2007 NBA Championship, establishing themselves as a true NBA dynasty.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=3281217&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 Sweep! Spurs 'Dynasty' Captures 4th Title]. ABC News</ref><ref>[http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jun/14/nba-finals-series-sweep-could-establish-spurs-dyna/ NBA Finals: Series sweep could establish Spurs dynasty] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309063850/http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jun/14/nba-finals-series-sweep-could-establish-spurs-dyna/ |date=March 9, 2012 }}. The Albuquerque Tribune</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070618163153/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19253744/ Spurs an unappreciated, forgotten dynasty]. MSNBC</ref><ref>[https://www.espn.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070615 MVP Parker joins Spurs' elite] . ESPN</ref> The season also gave longtime former Maverick Michael Finley his first championship. Many Spurs teammates claimed that the drive to win this season was partially to give Finley his first championship, especially since Finley had lost a bitter-fought series to his longtime team the year previous.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/061407dnspospurs.407355c.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930041235/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/061407dnspospurs.407355c.html |url-status=dead |title=Reign men: Spurs win 4th NBA title &#124; Dallas Morning News &#124; News for Dallas, Texas &#124; SportsDay: Top Stories |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |website=www.dallasnews.com}}</ref>

Worth noting in a regular season meeting between the two rivals in April 2007, a game that the Spurs won 91–86, Tim Duncan suffered his first career ejection for supposedly laughing while sitting on the bench. [[Joey Crawford]], the referee who ejected Duncan, allegedly asked Duncan to a fight which led to the longtime ref's season-ending suspension. As Duncan was heading into the locker room, [[American Airlines Center]] erupted into a huge cheer, applauding Duncan's ejection. The game saw chippy play, with [[Jerry Stackhouse]] and [[Manu Ginóbili]] getting into an altercation after a rebound.

In the 2009 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks and Spurs squared off again in the first round. The Spurs and Mavericks split the first two games in San Antonio, but Dallas defeated the Spurs in games 3 and 4, both in Dallas. The Mavericks then went on to close out the series and eliminated the Spurs at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

In 2010, the Dallas Mavericks matched up against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Although the Mavericks managed to obtain the number two seed, they were defeated by the Spurs in six games.

During the 2011 playoffs, a role reversal of sorts occurred between the two rivals, when the top-seeded Spurs were defeated by the eighth-seeded [[Memphis Grizzlies]], the first time an eight-seed defeated a one-seed since the Mavericks-Warriors series of 2007. In addition, the Mavericks defeated the LeBron James-led [[Miami Heat]] in the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks were swept in the [[2012–13 NBA season|2012–13 season]] by the Spurs for the first time since the [[1997–98 NBA season|1997–98 season]], Tim Duncan's rookie season. In their last match-up of the season, San Antonio escaped with a 92–91 victory over Dallas when a [[Vince Carter]] 3-point attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer. With the win, the Spurs clinched a playoff spot for the 16th straight season, currently the longest streak in the NBA. San Antonio also reached 50 wins for the 14th straight season, the longest streak in NBA history.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278687 |title=Spurs edge Mavericks to sweep season series |publisher=ESPN |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305112253/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278687 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the [[2013–14 NBA season|2013–14 season]], the Spurs once again swept the Mavericks in the regular season, giving them nine straight victories. In addition, an overtime loss to the [[Memphis Grizzlies]] on April 16, 2014, ensured that the Mavericks would face the Spurs once again in the [[2014 NBA playoffs]], where the Mavericks were the eighth seed and San Antonio the first. In Game 1 in San Antonio, the game was relatively close. Dallas reached an 81–71 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs rallied back and took Game 1 at home, 90–85. However, the Mavericks managed to force 22 turnovers in Game 2 to rout the Spurs 113–92, splitting the first two games before the series went to Dallas. In Game 3, [[Manu Ginóbili]] managed to hit a shot that put the Spurs up 108–106 with 1.7 left, but a buzzer-beater by [[Vince Carter]] gave the Mavs the victory, putting them up 2–1 in the series. The Spurs took Game 4 in Dallas 93–89 and later Game 5 at home 109–103, giving them a 3–2 lead. The Mavericks won Game 6 at home by 113–111. The Spurs won game 7 119–96, eliminating the Mavericks in the first round.

===Phoenix Suns===
During the 2004 off-season, former Dallas Mavericks point guard [[Steve Nash]] signed a free-agent deal with the 29–53 [[Phoenix Suns]] to help out their offense. The addition of Nash helped as Phoenix rolled to a 62–20 record and the best record in the NBA. The teams met in the [[2005 NBA playoffs#(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks|2005 Western Conference Semifinals]] with Phoenix having the home-court advantage.

Phoenix won game 1 127–102 with a 40-point game by [[Amar'e Stoudemire]]. Steve Nash was also given his [[NBA MVP]] award during that game, a game in which he terrorized his former team. However, Mavericks star [[Dirk Nowitzki]] hit a game-winning turn-around jumper in game 2 to beat Phoenix 108–106 to send the series back to Dallas tied 1–1. Phoenix and Dallas split the two games in [[Dallas]] which saw both winners of games score 119 points. The series went back to Phoenix then took care of Dallas 114–108 in the [[America West Arena]] (now Footprint Center). Then, in game 6, with Dallas facing elimination, Phoenix beat Dallas in a thriller which saw [[Steve Nash]] with a 39-point game, to go along with 12 assists. In the [[2005 NBA playoffs#(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (2) San Antonio Spurs|Western Conference finals]], Phoenix lost to the [[San Antonio Spurs]], who then went on to win the [[2005 NBA Finals|NBA title]].

The following year, a Suns team without Stoudemire (who was injured), [[Joe Johnson (basketball)|Joe Johnson]], and [[Quentin Richardson]], but with a core of new players led by [[Raja Bell]] (who clotheslined Lakers star [[Kobe Bryant]] in a first-round series game), [[Boris Diaw]] and [[Tim Thomas (basketball)|Tim Thomas]] to go along with Nash and fellow All-Star [[Shawn Marion]]. Phoenix had to play seven-game series against the two Los Angeles teams, the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] (who had a 3–1 lead against Phoenix) and the resurgent [[Los Angeles Clippers]]. In the [[2006 NBA playoffs#(2) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks|Western Conference finals]], they faced a Mavericks team who won 60 games, but were forced to be the fourth seed since the division winners got the top three seeds. On their way to the Western Conference finals, Dallas swept the [[Memphis Grizzlies]], and beat in-state rival [[San Antonio Spurs]] in seven tense games. Phoenix won game 1 121–118 after Diaw hit a game-winning shot in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Bell, though injured himself in game 1, missing Games Two and Three. After that, Dallas took control of the series, winning Games Two and Three by the scores of 105–98 and 95–88. Bell came back for game 4 and led Phoenix to a 106–86 win. Dallas however, beat Phoenix 117–101 in game 5 which included a 50-point performance from Dirk Nowitzki, and eliminated the Suns in Phoenix 102–93 in game 6. Dallas would later lose to the [[Miami Heat]] in [[2006 NBA Finals|six games]], despite winning the first two games.

On March 14, 2007, in Dallas, Phoenix beat Dallas in a 129–127 double-overtime thriller. With the Mavericks up by 7 with a minute left in regulation, Dirk Nowitzki (a 90% free throw shooter) missed two free throws. Steve Nash fed off his mistakes and scored 10 straight points including the game-tying three-pointer with 3 seconds left to go. Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-winning shot bounced off the rim and sent the game to overtime. [[Jason Terry]] sent the game into another overtime with a game-tying three-pointer of his own. Dirk Nowitzki's potential game-tying shot in double overtime went in and out of the rim as Amar'e Stoudemire's 41 points were too much for Dallas to handle.

On April 10, 2013, the Mavericks 12-season playoff streak, since [[2000–01 Dallas Mavericks season|2001]], ended in a loss to the Suns 102–91.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278889 |title=Mavs eliminated from playoff contention for first time since 2000 |publisher=ESPN |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=February 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220082609/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400278889 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 12, 2014, the Mavs handed the Suns one of three straight losses to keep them out of the playoffs, 101–98. Their other two losses were to the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies.

From the [[2016–17 Dallas Mavericks season|2016–17 season]] through the [[2021–22 Dallas Mavericks season|2021–22 regular season]], the Suns dominated the rivalry, winning 17 out of 21 head-to-head games, including separate winning streaks of nine and seven games.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/mavericks_vs_suns_game_log_season.htm |publisher=Land Of Basketball |access-date=February 2, 2023 |title=Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Head-to-Head in the NBA Regular Season – All-Time Game Log |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203032341/https://www.landofbasketball.com/head_to_head_gl/mavericks_vs_suns_game_log_season.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

The Mavericks and the Suns met again in the [[2022 NBA playoffs#(1) Phoenix Suns vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks|2022 Western Conference Semifinals]], in which the Suns were coming off a historic franchise-record 64 wins, while the Mavericks compiled 52 regular season wins. Despite the Suns being heavily favored to win and going up 2–0 in the series, the Suns' season ended in an upset 123–90 game 7 loss to the Mavericks on their home floor.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10035914-suns-devin-booker-on-game-7-loss-to-mavs-it-was-a-good-old-fashioned-ass-whupping |title=Suns' Devin Booker on Game 7 Loss to Mavs: 'It Was a Good Old-Fashioned Ass-Whupping' |publisher=Bleacher Report |access-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201130629/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10035914-suns-devin-booker-on-game-7-loss-to-mavs-it-was-a-good-old-fashioned-ass-whupping |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Houston Rockets===
An NBA intrastate rivalry, both in Texas linked by I-45, as well as both Dallas and Houston fans traditionally having a disdain for each other's city, the rivalry started when the Mavericks were the last Texas team to join the NBA. This is also known as the I-45 rivalry because they both lie on [[Interstate 45]]. In the Mavericks' inaugural season in 1980–81, the Rockets won all six meetings including a 116–68 win.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198102040HOU.html |title=Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets Box Score, February 4, 1981 |work=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=April 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424123212/http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198102040HOU.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In the playoffs, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets in the 1988 and 2005 playoffs, the latter of which was plagued with allegations of game-fixing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2008/06/donaghy-points-smoking-gun-at-rockets-series-misfires/ |title=Donaghy points smoking gun at Rockets series, misfires |work=Ultimate Rockets |date=June 11, 2008 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074609/http://blog.chron.com/ultimaterockets/2008/06/donaghy-points-smoking-gun-at-rockets-series-misfires/ |url-status=live}}</ref> while the Rockets swept several season series with the Mavericks during the 1990s, and also during the Rockets' championship years. On April 11, 1995, the Mavericks defeated the Rockets 156–147 in double overtime, making that win one of their most memorable victories against Houston who were the reigning champions. Two years later, the Rockets and Mavericks have clashed in their first-ever regular season game played in [[Mexico City]], which was won by the Rockets 108–106. In the 2010s, the rivalry has once again flourished with Dallas owner [[Mark Cuban]] and Rockets general manager [[Daryl Morey]] taking shots at each other on social media, as well as Houston fan-favorite [[Chandler Parsons]] signing an offer sheet to leave the Rockets to sign with the rival Mavericks for $46&nbsp;million, while making negative statements about the city of Houston upon leaving,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://houston.cbslocal.com/2014/10/08/chandler-parsons-calls-houston-dirty/ |title=Chandler Parsons Calls Houston 'Dirty' |date=October 8, 2014 |access-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-date=July 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705074705/http://houston.cbslocal.com/2014/10/08/chandler-parsons-calls-houston-dirty/ |url-status=live}}</ref> causing massive backlash among Rockets fans. Finally, longtime Mavericks' player [[Jason Terry]], who was a starter on the Mavericks' 2011 championship team, joined the Rockets for the [[2014–15 NBA season|2014–15 season]], and both teams met in the first round of the [[2015 NBA playoffs]], with the Rockets as the second seed and Mavericks the seventh seed, and the Rockets got the best of them 4–1.

===Los Angeles Lakers===
The rivalry between the Lakers and Mavericks began in the 1980s during the Lakers' [[Showtime (basketball)|Showtime era]]. In the [[1984 NBA playoffs]], the Lakers won over the Mavericks in the Western Conference Semi-finals with the series 4–1. In 1986, they met again in the semi-finals and the Lakers won the series 4–2. In the [[1988 NBA playoffs]], the Lakers, who were the defending champions, defeated the Mavericks in a seven-game series in the Western Conference finals and eventually became the back-to-back champions after winning the [[1988 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]. In 2011, the Mavericks met the two-time defending champions Lakers in the semi-finals and rejected their three-peat by sweeping them in four games and eventually won the [[2011 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]. In Game 2 of the [[2011 NBA playoffs]], [[Metta World Peace|Ron Artest]] was ejected for hitting [[J. J. Barea]] and suspended for Game 3. In Game 4, [[Lamar Odom]] was ejected for pushing [[Dirk Nowitzki]] and then [[Andrew Bynum]] was ejected for elbowing [[J. J. Barea]]. Both players received flagrant foul 2. After the [[2011 NBA lockout]], Lamar Odom was sent to the Mavericks after he requested to leave the Lakers due to the vetoed Chris Paul trade. Andrew Bynum made a formal apology for what he did to Barea before the start of the following season.