What went wrong with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015-16

Long losing streak

From March 3-27, the Mavericks were playing so poorly they could barely beat one of the NCAA teams that made it to the Final Four. During that period of March Madness, the Mavericks lost 10 of 12 games and their record dropped to a season-low 35-38. Seven of the 10 losses during that stretch were by eight points or fewer and featured games where the Mavericks were just lousy on the boards and didn’t have the wherewithal to protect a lead or the ball. They allowed 102 or more points in all 10 losses, except when they lost 99-98 at Cleveland on March 16 in a game when the Cavaliers rested LeBron James. The low point of the season for the Mavericks’ started with a 104-101 loss at home to the Kings on March 3, and then came full circle with a 133-111 loss at Sacramento on March 27. The 133 points were the most the Mavericks allowed during the season.

No board work

The Mavericks were terrible at rebounding the ball. They probably could have had another 50-win season if the basketball were made of iron and they ran around with magnets in their hands. Too many potential wins turned into losses because the Mavericks couldn’t grab a defensive rebound at key moments of a game. The rebounding got so bad during the playoff series against Oklahoma City that coach Rick Carlisle frequently counted the team’s ability to stay within single digits of the Thunder on the boards as a victory in that category.

Home disadvantage

After splitting their first two playoff games on the road at Oklahoma City, the Mavericks went home beaming with pride because they had snatched home-court advantage away from the Thunder. But those good feelings quickly turned into sad faces when the Mavericks dropped the only two home games they played in the best-of-seven series. The Thunder went on to close out the series 4-1 with a 118-104 victory in Game 5. Before that game, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban lit a fire when he said Thunder forward Kevin Durant was the only superstar Oklahoma City had and that point guard Russell Westbrook was an All-Star, but not a superstar. After the game, Durant said of Cuban: “He’s an idiot. He’s an idiot. Don’t listen to him. That’s what we’ve got to say about that. He’s an idiot. Next question.”

This story was originally published April 30, 2016 at 7:02 PM with the headline "What went wrong with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015-16."