10 Greatest NBA Finals performers in Dallas Mavericks history

The Dallas Mavericks' 2023-24 season has come to an end without the Larry O'Brien Trophy in hand. Even so, some see the campaign as a success, considering the team had to claw its way out of the Play-In Tournament picture.

Complementing the masterful showing from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and sublime coaching by Jason Kidd was the tremendous impact of the last-minute additions the front office pulled off at the trade deadline.

Facing the deeper Boston Celtics in the Finals, the Mavs committed several mistakes that doomed their chances of clinching what would have been a second title in franchise history. Still, the future is bright for the squad, as many of its core players are 25 years old or under.

10 Greatest NBA Finals performers in Dallas Mavericks history

Only time will tell how long it takes for Dallas to return to the championship round. It wouldn't be surprising if it's back in the Finals next year, considering that the team will have a full training camp together and that the recently concluded postseason should give the front office and coaching staff an idea about how the Mavs can further improve.

So far, more than three dozen players have suited up in the Finals in a Mavs uniform.

Some of them played beyond expectations, although some underperformed. Here, we look at the Dallas players who have done well in the squad's previous appearances (2006, 2011, and 2024) in the title stage.

10. Dereck Lively II

Dereck Lively II was the only rookie to play meaningful minutes in the 2024 Finals, and he showed why the Mavs front office read the 2023 NBA Draft perfectly when they selected Lively II with the No. 12 pick. He played beyond his years and even displayed the potential to be one of the squad's leaders when he sent Doncic a blunt message during the series about avoiding complaining to the referees.

The 20-year-old big man was a massive reason Dallas outrebounded Boston in the series, averaging 8.2 boards per game. He hauled in more rebounds than any of the Celtics players.

Even though he scored just 5.6 points per contest, Lively II was incredibly efficient from the field, converting 70.6 percent of his shots. Evidently, he is a significant reason there is plenty of optimism in Mavs land. He has proven to be the perfect fit for Doncic and Kyrie Irving, especially because of his rim-running abilities and potential to be a floor-spacer.

The Celtics did a solid job of addressing Dallas' lob threats. But with a whole season in which he secured an All-Rookie Second-Team selection and a lengthy playoff run under his belt, expect the Duke University product to be even better in the next campaign and beyond.

9. J.J. Barea

If only J.J. Barea had a more consistent run in the 2011 Finals, he would place higher on this list. But the Dallas Mavericks are surely thankful they had someone like the Puerto Rican point guard, who stepped up big time when he was inserted into the lineup midway into the round.

Down 2-1 against the Miami Heat, Dallas needed a change of pace, and Barea was exactly what the doctor ordered for the team. While he didn't have an outstanding performance in its Game 4 victory, he did the most damage against Miami in the fifth and sixth meetings.

In Game 5, he matched LeBron James' scoring output with 17. He followed that up with a 15-point production in the title-clinching bout, establishing his place in the franchise's lore. Heat legend Dwyane Wade even credited Barea for his role in the Mavs' lone championship, admitting that his team had no answer for the retired ball handler.

Despite standing at less than six feet, he showed no fear of going up against the bigger opponents.

What's impressive about Barea's career is that he started as a relative unknown, going undrafted in 2006. He eventually developed into a fan favorite and one of the Mavs' cult heroes.

8. Shawn Marion

When the Dallas Mavericks went up against a star-studded Miami Heat squad that featured LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, they were quickly written off by many pundits. Miami seemed to have too much firepower on the wing and the high post.

However, Shawn Marion's defensive presence helped neutralize the threat from the Big 3. Stats-wise, he also wasn't a slouch, posting 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game — both third on the team in the series.

After arriving in Dallas via a sign-and-trade deal in the 2009 offseason, the four-time All-Star was evidently already a shell of his former self. Still, his on-court instincts manifested, particularly when it mattered the most for the team.

Interestingly, Marion wasn't even a starter for most of the 2010-11 campaign, taking a reserve role in favor of Caron Butler. However, a season-ending injury to Butler elevated "The Matrix" back to his usual spot, and he helped provide the Mavs with defense, rebounding, and leadership.

A year ago, he showed why Dallas badly needed him to clinch the 2011 championship. His mindset of the Mavs featuring five current or past All-Stars at the time trumped the three All-Stars Miami had.

Marion was right when he said that Dirk Nowitzki raised the bar after leading Dallas to the 2011 Finals. However, his role in the championship round and helping prepare Nowitzki for smaller opponents cannot be understated.

7. Josh Howard

The Dallas Mavericks losing to the Miami Heat in the 2006 Finals was an incredible disappointment. But if it weren't for Dwyane Wade going supernova and making 97 trips to the free-throw line in the six-game series, the Mavs would likely have won an NBA championship earlier.

Furthermore, Josh Howard would also probably not have the distinction of being one of the forgotten Dallas stars.

The retired swingman established himself as a formidable two-way force during his time on the Mavs (2003-2010), and he was key to the team's run to the championship stage in the 2005-06 season. In fact, Dallas had a 25-0 record when Howard scored at least 20 during the regular season until the Western Conference Finals.

Miami snapped the streak in the title bout, though, as the Mavs lost when he put up 21 in Game 3 and 25 in Game 5. It's worth noting that the squad lost by a combined three points in those contests.

Dallas may have lost, but Howard tried his best to provide Dirk Nowitzki with the needed help, registering 14.7 points (which were pulled down by a three-point performance in the fourth contest) and 8.2 rebounds per match. Unfortunately, he had to battle foul trouble for almost the entire series.

6. Jason Kidd

The Dallas Mavericks had plenty of heroes against the Miami Heat in the 2011 Finals, and Jason Kidd deserves praise for being one of them.

His numbers may not show it (7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest), but the current Mavs coach performed really well in the championship round. Against an opponent that had the advantage in star power, Kidd provided Dallas with stability and steady ball-handling.

Despite being the chief playmaker, the 10-time All-Star also served as one of the team's most dangerous 3-and-D threat. He sank 12 3-pointers in the series, which was second only to DeShawn Stevenson's 13 makes, and hit 42.9% of his shots from beyond the arc.

J-Kidd also took on the assignment of defending LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, more than holding his own against the superstars and his "Redeem Team" teammates. At 38 years old, he was a step slower in 2011 than he was back in the day. However, he proved against the Heat why he deserves to be named one of the 15 best defenders of all time.

It would have been quite a feat to help Dallas win a title as a player and then a coach. Still, steering the franchise to a third-ever Finals appearance when people expected him to fail is already a significant achievement.

With his experiences as the Mavs' starting point guard during the 2011 title run and the lessons he gained from the recently concluded Finals, Kidd should give fans hope that the organization will continue to compete for championships in the following years.

5. Tyson Chandler

One of the reasons the Dallas Mavericks brought home the trophy in 2011 was their defense. In the Finals, they held the Miami Heat below 100 points in five out of the six matches, thanks in large part to defensive anchor Tyson Chandler.

The former No. 2 pick recorded 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and a combined 2.4 steals and blocks per contest, but his value to the Mavs went beyond the stats. Aside from his rebounding and rim protection, he also made the Heat pay for overexerting on defense by being elite as a lob threat.

His best game arguably came in the decisive Game 4, as he put up 13 points and 16 rebounds to help Dallas tie the series at 2-2. Chandler helped limit LeBron James to eight points and hurt Miami with his plethora of offensive boards and putbacks.

Dirk Nowitzki once paid tribute to his former teammate, calling him the 2010-11 Mavs' "emotional leader."

Perhaps the most concrete evidence of Chandler's impact was after Dallas gave up on him way too soon in the 2011 offseason in a cap-clearing move to chase high-profile free agents. Without him, the Mavs' defense and rebounding suffered, and they got swept out of the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. As for the California native, he won his lone Defensive Player of the Year award as a member of the New York Knicks.

Hopefully, Dereck Lively II (and even Daniel Gafford) can pick up plenty of lessons under his mentorship.

4. Kyrie Irving

Despite being an underdog against the Boston Celtics in this year's Finals, the Dallas Mavericks offered fans with high optimism of winning the championship because they had a potentially legendary duo in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Irving also has one championship under his belt and had incredible performances in his past Finals appearances, where he scored 27.7 points per game on a 46.8% field-goal percentage. Unfortunately, the former Cleveland Cavaliers champion became the Mavs' problem instead of their hero early on in the series.

Boston limited Irving to 19.8 points and 5.0 assists per contest and 41.4%. Even so, his scoring average is still greater than what Dallas' players not named Dirk Nowitzki recorded in the 2011 Finals. Additionally, the Celtics probably would have swept the squad if it had not been for Kyrie taking some of the offensive load from Doncic.

The eight-time All-Star also tied the highest-scoring performance by a Maverick in the Finals when he poured in 35 markers in Game 3. He matched Jason Terry's 35-pointer in the fifth meeting of the 2006 championship. He then scored 21 points in 30 minutes in Dallas' blowout victory over the Celtics in Game 4.

Irving may have failed at helping the Mavs bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy, but the organization is in good hands with him as Doncic's sidekick and one of the young squad's leaders.

3. Jason Terry

Debates can go on who the second-best player on the Dallas Mavericks was during their Finals runs in 2006 and 2011. However, Jason Terry has a strong case for earning that distinction in both campaigns.

In the Mavs' 2006 faceoff against the Miami Heat, he finished with 22.0 points per game on 47.8% shooting. Impressively, he nearly matched Dirk Nowitzki's output and scored more efficiently than his superstar teammate. For good measure, Terry also led the Dallas players with 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.

Five years later, he had the opportunity to avenge the loss when the Mavs played the Heat in a rematch. He made sure to capitalize on it while avoiding getting what could have been one of the most humiliating tattoo stories in the NBA.

"JET" famously outscored LeBron James in the 2011 Finals (18.0 to 17.5 points per contest.) He submitted arguably his finest Finals outing in Game 6, as his 27 points (19 in the first half) and six 3-pointers helped Dallas clinch the title.

With his penchant for getting buckets and bravado, Terry would have been a perfect fit on today's squad. The Mavs' lack of a third scorer or ball handler behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving plagued their chances of upsetting the Boston Celtics in the recent Finals.

2. Dirk Nowitzki

A case can be made for Dirk Nowitzki as the best NBA Finals performer in Dallas Mavericks history. After all, he is the biggest reason the franchise has one banner up in the rafters.

In his first-ever appearance in the championship round, he recorded 22.8 points per game, and his average of 10.8 rebounds per contest led all players, including Shaquille O'Neal. A knock on Nowitzki's performance that year, though, was his sloppy scoring (39.0 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc.) Perhaps the lack of a true playmaker hurt his efficiency.

He more than made up for it in 2011, as he had 26.0 points and 9.7 boards per match en route to securing the only Finals MVP in the organization's history.

The former MVP had several signature performances in that year's Finals, including displaying his clutch genes in Game 2 to help Dallas mount a successful comeback and tie the series 1-1.

In Game 3, he registered 34 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in a loss that had them trailing 2-1. The tension among the Mavs faithful in the following meeting because Nowitzki was under the weather. Fortunately, the German legend still managed to put up a team-high 21 points to lead Dallas to victory, marking one of the greatest moments of his NBA career.

Then, in Game 6, he overcame a rough start, where he shot just 1-12 from the field in the first half. The clutch icon poured in 10 of his 21 points in the fourth period to help Dallas get the victory and the trophy.

1. Luka Doncic

Many eyes were on Luka Doncic as the Dallas Mavericks took on the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Finals. Regarded as the best player on the court in the series, the Slovenian superstar was expected to dominate the competition, and he nearly did.

He finished his Finals debut averaging 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 steals per game — not bad for someone who had little help from his supporting cast. Doncic also recorded a 30-point triple-double in Game 2, and that was just one of the several feats he accomplished in his first time playing in the championship round.

Sure, he had his flaws, including turning the ball over aplenty and being inefficient from the charity stripe and 3-point land. But how can you go against "Luka Magic" as the best NBA Finals performer in the history of the franchise when he led all Mavs and Celtics players in points, rebounds, and steals?

The fact that Doncic was dealing with a myriad of injuries made his production even more awe-inspiring. But because he is that great of a player, he has also become a magnet of criticism, including getting unfairly slammed for his work ethic.

Still, it was quite a series for the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection, even if it ended in a loss. If he manages to lead Dallas to the promised land again, expect him to continue performing well or do even better.

Both he and Dirk Nowitzki deserved the No. 1 spot, and the Mavs are set for years to come with Doncic at the helm.

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