<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">25. Mavericks win first game: Who would have thought Winford Boynes and Tom LaGarde would win a shootout with George Gervin and the San Antonio Spurs? But the Mavericks were 1-0 after winning that first game at Reunion Arena, 103-92, on Oct. 11, 1980. 24. All-Star Game comes to Dallas: In 1986, the Mavericks hosted the NBA galaxy of stars, and the littlest one would outshine them all. Spud Webb won the slam-dunk contest in spectacular fashion. 23. Game 7s: They are a special occasion anytime they occur, and the Mavericks have had only three of them in history. They are 2-1, having lost to the Lakers in the 1988 Western Conference finals and beaten Portland in the 2003 first round and Sacramento in the 2003 conference semifinals. 22. The retiring type: Brad Davis and Rolando Blackman are the only players in franchise history with their numbers retired. There are many who believe Derek Harper or Mark Aguirre, or both, should join them, but it hasn't happened yet. 21. Ro-ing the boat: Rolando Blackman remains the best player in franchise history until Dirk Nowitzki gets at least another year or two of sparkling numbers next to his name. In 1987, at the All-Star Game in Seattle, Blackman scored 29 points and hit late free throws while Isiah Thomas and others were trash-talking him to try to make him miss. 20. The '90s: Let's just lump the entire wretched decade together for one lousy moment rather than dwell on the 199-507 record that Dallas had from the 1990-91 season to 1998-99. 19. Derek Harper's gaffe: The Mavericks had a chance to win Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals in 1984 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The score was tied and the Mavericks had the ball with scant seconds left. But Derek Harper, who later admitted he didn't know the score, dribbled out the clock without trying a shot. He thought the Mavericks were up by a point. The Lakers won in overtime. It was a painful lesson for the rookie. 18. Motta leaves, returns: The Mavericks had one of the best young teams in the league, and it wasn't enough for Dick Motta to stick around. He left abruptly after the 1986-87 season, not long after being suspended for a game for accusing the Houston Rockets of tanking games to improve their draft chances. Motta's return in 1994, replacing Quinn Buckner, was almost as abrupt, and he stayed two more seasons. 17. The Jason Kidd saga: He remains the only Maverick ever picked to start an All-Star Game, chosen by the coaches in 1996. He was flashy and unstoppable on the court. And then he was traded 22 games into his third season with the team. Don Nelson was hired as GM six weeks later and has said he never would have made that mistake. And a mistake, it was. 16. Dirk drops 53 on T-Mac: When you score the most points ever for the team, it's a key moment in franchise history. When Tracy McGrady tries to outduel you with 48 points, it's one of those rare NBA games that you'll never forget if you were lucky enough to be there. </div> Read the rest here
