BEHIND THE BANNER JUNE 24
ONE FOR DALLAS:
HOW THE 2024 MAVS’ TURNED DOUBTERS INTO DREAMERS
BY: MAC ENGEL
The main hall of the Dallas Mavericks’ headquarters is a mini Mavs Museum that tells the story of a franchise that began in 1980 where its first practice court was in a church, 10 feet shorter than a regulation NBA floor.
For the precious few who had the patience to watch the expansion Mavericks during their inaugural season, when they finished an NBA worst 15-67, what this team morphed into is more like one of those miracles that never happen “to your team.” For those who could stomach the
Mavericks through most of the ‘90s, when they posted 10 consecutive losing seasons and were one of the worst professional sports franchises in North America, what this franchise is today feels closer to impossible.
What they achieved in the 2023-’24 season is consistent with a franchise that this century has become one of the better NBA teams. But among their many 50-win seasons, achievements and postseason runs, what they did in the spring of 2024 stands near the very top because no one saw it coming.
Even those with the clearest and most expensive of crystal balls could not have predicted, or believed, what the Mavs pulled off in the spring of 2024. This was one of those galvanizing moments in sports that makes everyone re-arrange their schedule to watch. The Mavericks’ playoff run turned downtown Dallas into a giant party scene for two straight months.
The irony is that there was no sign of this when the Mavericks season began in the fall of 2023. There was no sign of this even on the 41st game of the regular season. Go back to the final week of the regular season, in the spring of 2023, when the Mavericks, led by owner Mark Cuban, recognized what this team was. They were not good enough, and basically did what they could to not win. Despite the presence of two of the best players in the world, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs missed the playoffs, and thus secured a lottery pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
That lottery pick turned into a center from Duke, Derek Lively. As the season progressed, the only notable news the team made was that Cuban sold the franchise to Patrick Dumont, the President and COO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp.
On the floor, the Mavericks were a pretty good team. Not bad. Not near the top. Even with Doncic putting up statistics the NBA had never seen, there were holes. In late February, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison made two trades that changed the team; they
acquired P.J. Washington from Charlotte, and center Daniel Gafford from Washington in deals just before the NBA’s trade deadline.
A week later, the Mavericks were blown out at home by the Indiana Pacers for the second time in less than two weeks and head coach Jason Kidd looked like a man whose tenure with the team would end at the end of another disappointing regular season. The Mavericks were much closer to 10th in the NBA’s Western Conference, and the dreaded play-in round of the playoffs, rather than looking like a threat to do anything of note in the playoffs.
Kidd assured everyone that with more than 20 games to play, this was going to be OK. The Mavericks won 16 of their final 20 regular-season games to hit the 50-win marker to finish fifth in the Western Conference.
The additions of Gafford and Washington changed the entire team, and created a dividing line in the season. The team before the trades was decent. The team after, with Doncic and Irving as the clear No. 1 and No. 2, was a threat.
In the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Mavericks drew an opponent that was their unofficial “problem:” the L.A. Clippers. The Clippers knocked out the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs in 2020 and again in 2021.
In 2024, the Clippers were not a problem. Despite Doncic playing through injury, the Mavericks eliminated the Clippers in six games to advance to the second round. It was at this point people both locally and nationally began to consider the Mavericks had enough to do something beyond winning a playoff series.
In the second round, the Mavs faced the top seed in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder was deep, talented, and featured one of the three finalists for the NBA’s regular season MVP award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder won Game 1 of the series, 117-95, and nothing in that game indicated the Mavericks were the better team.
A few adjustments later, and it was quickly evident the Mavericks were in fact the better team by a comfortable margin. They handled the Thunder the rest of the series to win it in six games to advance to the Western Conference finals for the second time in the last three years. But the Mavericks team that reached the West Finals in 2022 didn’t look too much like the team that did it in 2024. That ‘22 team was smaller, guard heavy, and a bunch of jump shooters who were out-shot in that Western Conference finals series against the Golden State Warriors.
This ‘24 team had height, defenders, and fit the vision of what Jason Kidd wants to coach. They also had two of the best “closers” in basketball, Irving and Doncic. To advance to their first NBA Finals for the first time since they won the championship in 2011 they would have to defeat the “next Michael Jordan.” Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves upset the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the second round, and looked like they could win the title themselves. With Doncic looking healthier, the Mavericks never let the Timberwolves in the series. Doncic’s step-back, game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the series in Minneapolis all but buried the Timberwolves. It was the shot of the entire NBA playoffs. Doncic fearlessly trash talked the entire Timberwolves roster, and the state of Minnesota. The Mavericks won the series in five games, and had the city of Dallas in their hands.
Unfortunately, in the NBA Finals the Mavericks ran into a more experienced roster that proved to be the better and deeper team throughout the entire season, the Celtics. The Mavericks did manage to provide some fun by winning Game 4 of the series at the American Airlines Center, but in the end it was not meant to be.
As the final buzzer echoed through the hallways of the Boston Garden, the Dallas Mavericks may not have secured their second NBA title, but they certainly won the hearts of fans and reenergized a city into becoming believers of where this franchise is headed. From the humble beginnings practicing on a church court to a thrilling playoff run that turned the Harwood district into a two-month-long celebration, the Mavericks’ journey is a testament to the organization’s willingness to take bold risks and adapt. Whether you’re a lifelong fan who endured the growing pains of the ‘80s and ‘90s or a new supporter captivated by Luka Magic and Kyrie’s comeback, one thing is clear: the Mavericks have redefined what it means to believe in your team.
SPELLBINDING SUCCESS:
DALLAS CHAMPS SHINE AT THE 2024 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
BY: JENNIFER SIMONSON
Congratulations is a hard word to spell, but Faizan Zaki and Sriya Gomatam have no trouble with it — or any other word, for that matter. These two local students have not only excelled in spelling but have also proven themselves in the fiercely competitive arena of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee. After advancing through multiple challenging rounds in local and regional competitions, the two recently made Dallas proud by competing on the prestigious national stage.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an annual competition that brings together top young spellers from across the United States and beyond. Contestants, ranging from elementary to middle school ages, compete to spell a broad selection of challenging words in a timed competition. This rigorous format showcases their exceptional linguistic abilities and composure under pressure, testing their limits and highlighting their mastery of language.
Faizan, a soon-to-be seventh grader at Rice Middle School in Plano ISD, took the competition by storm this year.
He advanced through 15 intense rounds to snag an impressive second place. It all came down to the lightning round, where each contestant had 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible. Faizan Zaki was able to spell 20 words correctly, taking second place behind the champion who managed to spell 29 words correctly in the allotted time.
Faizan won his first spelling bee competition in first grade. Since then, he has been hooked on spelling, dedicating much of his free time to mastering words. He estimates that he knows about 80 percent of the roughly 125,000 distinct words in Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged dictionary.
Faizan previously competed in 2019, where he tied for 370th place, and in 2023, where he tied for 21st place. Winning second place out of 245 spellers was a significant improvement for Faizan and proved that all his hard work had paid off. He was elated at his performance during this competition and is eagerly looking forward to next year.
“I knew I worked hard and I deserved to do well, especially with the support from my friends and family,” Faizan said.
According to Faizan, words with the ‘schwa’ sound, pronounced as ‘uh,’ are particularly challenging. They are tricky because they can be spelled with any vowel in English, making their spelling unpredictable.
Sriya Gomatam is another local spelling bee champ. As the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee Runner-Up, she clinched a spot at the prestigious competition for a second consecutive year. The Coppell Middle School North student made it to the semifinals, where she tied for 22nd place.
As an enthusiastic reader, Sriya delves deep into the worlds of fantasy, mystery, and science fiction. While Agatha Christie is her favorite author and ‘The A.B.C. Murders’ is her favorite book, Harry Potter is a close second. In fact, she has read the entire Harry Potter series ten times. Her passion for literature undoubtedly helped to hone her spelling skills, making her a formidable contender in the competition.
The path both Faizan and Sriya took to the Scripps National Spelling Bee began with intense competition at the local level. More than 100,000 students from over 800 schools vied for a spot at the Regional Bee. The champions from each county advanced to the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee, hosted by the Dallas Sports Commission at the WFAA studio in the heart of downtown Dallas. From there, the top two spellers earned the opportunity to showcase their skills at the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the national level in Washington D.C.
pros at home in july
WBSC TICKETS
ON SALE NOW
Tickets for the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Group C in Dallas, USA are now available for fans around the world. Scheduled from 29 August to 2 September at The Village Dallas, six of the top teams will feature in the tournament, including World No. 1 and World Champions USA, No. 5 Canada, No. 7 Mexico, No. 10 Australia, No. 15 Philippines, and No. 21 Ireland.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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WBSC U18 WOMEN’S
SOFTBALL WORLD CUP
AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 2
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CATCH UP ON MIC DROP DALLAS, THE OFFICIAL PODCAST OF THE DALLAS SPORTS COMMISSION.
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JOIN US AS MEXICO TAKES ON CANADA AT AT&T STADIUM
MexTour is coming back to AT&T Stadium! The final round of the Mexican National Team’s U.S. tour will be played at AT&T Stadium against the Canadian National Team on September 10, 2024. This match will preview the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup games coming to North America in 2026!
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PRIDE SPORTS DALLAS
BY: NANCY RODRIGUEZ
USA, standing among 75 city leagues offered by the organization. The group makes its mission clear, to bring the LGBTQ+ community and their allies together to play sports. Creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive league is a significant step towards growing within the sports groups as they are giving their athletes the opportunities they did not have in the past. This initiative does not only promote equality but also sends a powerful message of acceptance and respect for all the members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The organization is composed of a diverse array of sports that go on all year including kickball, sand volleyball, cornhole, soccer, basketball, tennis,
sport, respect the game, have fun, and make new friends to strive to make the world a better place through diversity and inclusion and not forgetting the importance of creating an environment of belonging and acceptance.
Pride Sports USA, was founded by Keith London in 2017 in Austin, TX, who felt the need to create a sporting opportunity for his community. By establishing Pride Sports Dallas, London not only provided a platform for LGBTQ+ individuals to participate in sports but also created a supportive environment where they could express themselves freely without fear of discrimination or judgment.
London’s vision and dedication are pivotal in promoting diversity and acceptance within the sports landscape, making a lasting impact on the lives of many individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.
London’s motivation to create Pride Sports Dallas is admirable. Building a safe space for LGBTQ+ players within sports is crucial for fostering inclusivity and belonging. “I felt like there was not a space for LGBTQ+ players to come together and have a league that is ours. So, I wanted to create that space,” London stated.
By creating this institution, London is not only providing a platform for LGBTQ+ athletes to connect and play together but also sends a powerful message of acceptance and equality within the sports world.
“This is a good opportunity to be whoever they are and just come out and play,” commented London. “We are not out here trying to get to the Olympic trials, we are just trying to have fun.”
Pride Sports Dallas features several sports with several divisions with casual players, to more competitive divisions. Some members are just trying to kick a ball and make new friends, while other members of other divisions are lifelong athletes and want to win it all.
Providing options for both recreational and competitive players ensures that everyone can find their place within the institution. “We want to accommodate everyone based on their skills and get as much out of Pride Sports,” said London.
The organization has had quite the journey since launching in 2017, with growth now exceeding 1,000 players, most of whom have been there since day one, solidifying the strong sense of loyalty and commitment inclusive environments foster.
However, amidst the group’s achievements, they have also encountered challenges. One of the most significant was undoubtedly the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We bring so many people together, COVID comes, and I am told we cannot bring people together anymore which was a headache not only for me but for the entire
community,” said London. Despite these setbacks, they remained resolute in their dedication to overcoming obstacles and continuing to unite and empower their community.
“It’s important to be involved, hear their stories, where they came from, and just really be involved with my community,” London said.
As the owner, London leads a dynamic and vibrant life, often traversing various flights and cities daily to actively engage in diverse events, whether capturing moments through photography or immersing himself fully in participation. His active involvement is not only a personal passion but also a crucial element for the institution, which boasts over 19 sponsorships and remains open to forging new partnerships. The group thrives in engagement, reflecting a collective commitment with all the partnerships to make a positive and powerful impact.
The organization’s growth knows no bounds; its trajectory is one of continuous expansion. The future vision is clear: to continue to add more sports, welcome more players, more sponsors, and more fun. From engaging in weekly activities to participating in nationally renowned tournaments that have a huge impact on the community, every chance is available to become an integral part of the organization solidifying Pride Sports Dallas as a dynamic force for positive change.
Pride Sports Dallas operates a year-round calendar with registration for different sports available. While some spring sports have wrapped up and others, like Pickleball, are ending, there’s still time to get involved with Pride Dallas Sports. Late summer registrations are currently open for the opportunity to join their Dodgeball summer league starting June 29th. Additional fall sports will also open for registration soon.
For more information about Pride Sports Dallas, to register for any of its leagues and tournaments, or to explore opportunities to become a donor or sponsor, visit PrideSportsUSA.com.
