Top 10 Dallas Mavericks teams of all time

8. 2008-2009 Dallas Mavericks

Two years before winning the NBA Finals, Dallas took the first steps in achieving their goal. In February 2007, the Mavs traded five players and two first-round picks for Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd.

The team also made other additions by hiring coach Rick Carlisle. In his season in Dallas, the team went 50-32. The Mavs finished the year six in the West and remained three games behind the fifth seed, four games behind the two seed, and one game ahead of the seventh seed. Teams ranked second to eighth were all separated by six games or less.

In the playoffs, Dallas once matched up against the Spurs for the fourth meeting between the two. The Mavs had the upper hand this time as players Nowitzki, Terry, and Howard helped Dallas win the series in five games.

The series started tied 1-1 before Dallas went on a three-game winning. Game three was the turning point of the series. The Mavs won the match by 21. The Spurs' series was also the coming-out party for J.J. Barea. Under coach Carlisle, he saw an increase in minutes.

Dallas parade would later end when they fell to the Denver Nuggets in five. However, the team's ability to overcome all odds and beat the Spurs is why I have them at eight.