Asking Mavs fans of all generations!

[u/gaddsaa]

Hey Mavericks fans, so I’m making a video on each franchise’s biggest upset (when they were not expected to win) and each franchise’s biggest choke (sorry if that strikes a chord). I have my guesses for each but I wanted to ask actual Mavs fans to see what you guys think and if you have better answers that I should look at.

I'm considering an upset strictly as when that team was not supposed to win or were big underdogs and won. A choke can either be when your team was expected to win and underperformed, or blew a big lead in an important game or in the playoffs (something around those lines). It can also be a blown playoff lead (example: 3-1 lead)

Let me know what you guys think, I will link the video here when it’s done. Good luck to you guys this season!!

[u/thacktor]

Choke: 2007 Mavs being bounced in the first round.

Upset: not the 11 Finals but the sweep of the Lakers that year. Sending the defending champs home and retiring the Zen Master was so choice.

[u/dbzmah → u/thacktor]

Thread.  2011 run was 4 upsets in a row. When Portland took away home court advantage, the choke narrative was there. 

Even up 3-0 on the 2 time defending Lakers, the narrative was that they would bring it back.

We get to OKC, and this team.is too old to keep up with the young superstars, despite us having a 7 game playoff win streak.

Then there's the Heat. Everyone knows what happened there.

2007: let's not talk about that.

[u/aeiou-y → u/thacktor]

Agreed w both these.

[u/NobodyAgile6511]

Biggest upset gotta be 2011 finals against the Heat. Nobody gave us a chance against that superteam and Dirk just went supernova the whole playoff run

For choke, the 06 finals still stings. Up 2-0 against Miami, everything looking good, then Wade start getting every call and we drop 4 straight. That one hurt different

[u/Jazzlike-Mission-172 → u/NobodyAgile6511]

I would argue that 2007 was worse than 2006. I'm still mad that a 67 win team got bounced by an 8 seed. Worst possible match up. We had already gotten swept by them in the regular season

[u/robman17 → u/Jazzlike-Mission-172]

Not only bounced by an 8, but bounced by an 8 for the first time ever.

[u/Michaelangelo76 → u/robman17]

Umm 1994 Nuggets won first, NY made it to the finals in 99 as an 8 seed, just saying Mavs where not the first to have that done to...

[u/robman17 → u/Michaelangelo76]

Maybe it was first since moving to 7 games in round 1. But I remember everyone making a big deal about that specifically.

[u/Powerful-Context416]

Here’s two:

Nov 12, 1994 - supposed to be the start of a new era of the 3 J’s - Jamal mashburn, Jimmy Jackson and Jason Kidd. Against the Bulls, Jamal scored 50, Jimmy scored 38, and Kidd nearly a triple double. They beat the Bulls in OT.

May 3, 2001 - Mavs beat Utah to advance in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. Led by Finley, Dirk, Nash and a final lay up by Calvin Booth to seal the series win.

[u/Powerful-Context416 → u/Powerful-Context416]

Clearly as you can tell, I’m a child of the 80s - 90’s. I carried my MFFL thru the horrid 90’s. So those wins still are cherished to this day.

[u/Scoobay2 → u/Powerful-Context416]

oh yes right on man - that first playoff series win of the Dirk ear over Malone and Stockton was special

[u/Historical-Cod3127 → u/Powerful-Context416]

These are the first two that I thought of.

Calvin Booth caused me and my roommates to get the cops called on us for a noise complaint😂

[u/Powerful-Context416 → u/Historical-Cod3127]

That Utah series win has gotta be top 5-10 moments in franchise history. Obviously 2011 Championship is number 1, but for those of us that endured the 90's, it was a major turning point.

[u/Historical-Cod3127 → u/Powerful-Context416]

I think it’s top 5. They had been bad for so long and that series solidified that Dirk was for real.

[u/Powerful-Context416 → u/Historical-Cod3127]

Yeah just kinda threw out a number that wasn't too controversial lol. You know how ppl get on Reddit with rankings. Does make me think "What would the top 5 be?"

[u/Ok_Review_1]

Choke is 2007 playoffs.

Upset… maybe the following playoff series: Mavs/Suns 2022; Mavs/Lakers 2011; Mavs/Heat 2011; Mavs/Spurs 2006.

If an individual upset game, Mavs/Knicks December 27, 2022. Won the game despite being down 9 with 33 seconds left.

[u/gregallbright]

Biggest single-game choke: It will always be the Kobe game in December 2002. Mavs had a 30-point lead, then Kobe scored over 20 points in one quarter to lead the Lakers to a 2-point win.

[u/AcanthaceaeBig3487]

Memorable upset win obviously the 2011 Finals; even tho they swept the defending champions lakers in that playoff run that year, the lakers they had no one that could guard Dirk and couldn’t stop all the 3’s coming from just about everyone on the team.

Memorable upset Loss gotta be that 2007 series against the warriors. Dirk was so horrible in that series and none of our guards could match the Golden State guards led by Baron Davis, J-Rich, Monte Ellis and Air France. Not to mention Stephen Jackson & Matt Barnes launching 3’s.

[u/nosliwec29]

Choke: 1987 Western Conference First Round. Mavs were supposed to challenge the Lakers as the 2-seed. They faced off against the 7-seed Sonics. We were supposed to steamroll the Sonics. Game 1 we won decisively 151-129. Then lost 3 in a row and bounced from the playoffs.

Upset: 1984 Western Conference First Round. Against the Sonics. Won deciding game 5 105-104 in OT. Down by 7 points with under two minutes remaining, Dallas mounted a furious comeback. Rolando Blackman hit a clutch 15-foot jumper to force overtime. Following a bizarre 14-minute clock dispute in the final seconds of overtime, the Mavs held on to shock Seattle and seal their first playoff series victory.

[u/Michaelangelo76 → u/nosliwec29]

Love older Mavs stuff like this... Most people forget what got the 2000's going was the upset win over Jazz in 2001... Calvin Booth hit the game winner, finally pulling us out of the 90's tail spin. Most don't know Mav's where really good in 80's like game 7 WCF against the Lakers good...

[u/BigAlTheBeardedOne]

Definitely 2011 finals upset for the win.

I would think in 2007 the 1 seed upset to the Warriors 8 seed has to be considered as the biggest choke, add in it was Dirk’s MVP season

[u/felarans0mekuti]

Biggest upset was trading Luka

[u/armandocalvinisius]

The Hardest Road triggered because mavs won game 2 in 2016 1st round

It puts doubt on KD's brain and the rest is history

[u/fen41]

Biggest upset would be the suns blowout from a few years ago, can’t think of biggest choke (probably blocked it from my mind)

[u/Stosstruppen-1945]

Choke: all 97 times D-Wade walked to the free-throw line with a mocking smirk on his face.

Upset: winning the Game 4, Dirk's "Flu Game", and then winning Game 5 too, after the taunting "little childish, a little ignorant", from the "Almighty" Big 3.

[u/Labatt_Blues]

2011 finals were not an upset and it’s one of the most annoying sports takes out there. So don’t use that.

By the way, had Dirk not been injured during the regular season that year the Mavs would have been first place. Additionally, they swept the Heat in the regular season, and consistently proved that the zone defense scheme around Chandler was the Achilles heel to the Heat all season.

It was not an upset.

That’s all I got.

[u/Scoobay2]

Biggest upset game - specifically would be Game 2 of the 2011 finals. The comeback from down 15 with around 6 minutes to go. The posing and showboating that immediately preceded the turn around made it all the sweeter. This video below appropriately shows the Heat going up 15 on Wade's corner 3 pointer and their subsequent celebration like they had already won.

2011 NBA Finals - Game 2 Comeback, Dallas vs Miami - YouTube

If you haven't seen the below vid "Hitler finds out the Mavs won game 2" it's a classic. In Hitler's own words, "When D Wade hit that 3-pointer in the corner I just knew it was over. Lebron and Wade started celebrating right in front of the Mavs bench... it was classic. It was pretty good too. Wade struck a pose and Lebron was throwing body blows."

Hitler finds out the Mavs won game 2

[u/adeadmanshand]

The Mavericks, who finished the 1997–98 season with just 20 wins (14 wins at the time of the game), erased a 19-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the defending champion Bulls 104-97 in overtime.

The only time Dallas beat the Bulls across 12 total matchups during those dynastic years with Jordan.

Michael Finley scored 32 points and Cedric Ceballos added 25 to pull off the improbable comeback.

Charles Barkley had famously mocked the struggling Mavs two days earlier by saying, "I don't think they could win the NCAAs". After the loss, Jordan famously remarked, "They beat us and we're not an NCAA team".

It should have been fortold, because at the time we had the "Best Running Big man " in the game in Chris Anstey! /S

[u/ItchyPin]

2006 Finals are probably the biggest choke. Reffing aside, it didn't help that our then Mayor Laura Miller, was already planning the parade route and calling for a sweep. Pretty embarrassing how things turned out of course, again this is disregarding the atrocious reffing.

[u/raiderpower086]

Both came in the finals vs the Heat. Heat 2011 upset, Heat 2006 choke