The NBA Dallas Mavericks basketball team plays in the Western Conference’s Southwest Division in the National Basketball Association. The Mavericks are based out of Dallas, Texas and play at American Airlines Center. The Dallas Mavericks were founded in 1980. They have won their division three times (1987, 2007 and 2010) along with a conference championship in 2006.

The Mavericks boasted a solid team throughout most of the 1980s. From 1983-90, the Mavericks made the playoffs in six out of seven years, led by Brad Davis, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman, Sam Perkins, Derek Harper and Detlef Schrempf. In 1986-87, the Mavericks won the Midwest Division and in 1988 made it into the Western Conference Finals.

The 1990s were the dark ages for the Mavericks. They failed to qualify for the playoffs from 1991 to 2000. In 2001, they made it back into the playoffs led by Steve Nash, Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki, with Don Nelson as head coach. In 2003, the Mavericks made it into the Conference Finals. In 2006, under the coaching of Avery Johnson, the Mavericks made it to the NBA Finals in 2006, but lost to the Miami Heat.