Why the 2021-2022 season was important for the Dallas Mavericks

Why this was an important season for Dallas Mavericks: 1. Taste of playoff success

Luka Doncic is on pace to go down as one of the all-time greats. The 23-year-old joined some impressive company with his third straight first-team All-NBA selection, and he was the only All-Star on the Mavericks roster as they reached the conference finals.

Yes, the Golden Warriors knocked them out, but it was this team’s first taste of playoff success. Dallas had qualified for the postseason in 2020 and 2021, but they were eliminated by LA Clippers in the first round both times.

All of the greats failed in the playoffs, but they kept climbing that mountain. Doncic had two first-round exits before getting his taste of reaching the conference finals. Now, he will look to take that next step and lead the Mavericks to a championship.

Luka is still on pace for greatness. Michael Jordan and LeBron James did not win their first championship until their seventh NBA season. It took Kobe Bryant four years to win a title, but he had Shaquille O’Neal in his eighth. Dirk Nowitzki waited 13 years for his championship. All of those greats had postseason failures before winning it all. Luka just had his first playoff run, and he is ready for more.

The Dallas Mavericks are just beginning something special with an important offseason ahead. They need to improve their roster and keep building towards championship contention, so stay tuned to see what moves the front office makes.