1987-1988
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Western Conference Finalists
The 1987-88 Mavericks maintained the pace they had set the previous season, slipping only two games in the victory column to a 53-29 record. MacLeod collected his 600th career victory on January 13 when Dallas beat the Indiana Pacers, with Roy Tarpley grabbing 23 rebounds in the game. Mark Aguirre and James Donaldson played in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game in February. Then, beginning on February 14, the Mavericks ran off a club-record 11-game winning streak. On February 24, during the sixth game of the streak, Blackman scored his 10,000th career point.
Won 53, lost 29 (second, Midwest)…advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in club history, losing to the eventual World Champion Lakers in Dallas’ first-ever 7-game series…ousted Houston and Denver in the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning four road games in the process…the Denver series was the first ever won by Dallas without the benefit of home court advantage…in his first year as head coach, John MacLeod became the eighth man in NBA history to inherit a 50-win team, and post 50+ wins…he also became the eighth coach to reach the 600-win milestone (Jan. 13)…Mark Aguirre and James Donaldson both played in the All-Star Game in Chicago…Roy Tarpley won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award…Tarpley ranked seventh in the NBA in rebounding…Dallas was the only NBA team to use just 12 players.
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GAME ONE (APRIL 28, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 120, HOUSTON 110. The Mavericks take a 1-0 lead in their first-round series against the Rockets with a 120-110 victory. The Mavericks break open a close game in the second period. Ahead 43-42 with 5:52 left in the first half, Dallas (led by six Roy Tarpley points) goes on an 18-4 run to lead 61-46 at halftime. Houston draws within five, 90-85, with 8:03 to go, but the Mavericks go on a 15-7 run which features baskets by seven different Mavericks (and a free throw by Derek Harper). The Mavericks score 43 points in the fourth period to establish a club playoff record. The win marks the first time the Mavericks have won a playoff game when Mark Aguirre (who finishes with 16 points on six-of-15 shooting) or Rolando Blackman (who scores 15 points on six-of-18 shooting) fails to score 20 points.
GAME TWO (APRIL 30, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — HOUSTON 119, DALLAS 108. Before a national CBS television audience, the Rockets even the series at a game apiece with a 119-108 victory. Sleepy Floyd (42 points) and Hakeem Olajuwon (41) become the second teammates in NBA playoff history to score 40-plus points in the same game. Elgin Baylor (45 points) and Jerry West (41) accomplished the feat for the Lakers on March 19, 1962, at Detroit. Olajuwon also adds 26 rebounds, the most boards ever vs. Dallas in any game. The Rockets lead, 107-105, with 1:34 to play, but the Mavericks do not score again until Brad Davis hits a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining. The Rockets end the game on a 16-5 run as Olajuwon scores eight of those points. The loss comes despite Dallas’ bench outscoring the Rockets reserves 41-9.
GAME THREE (MAY 3, 1988) @ THE SUMMIT (16,611) — DALLAS 93, HOUSTON 92. Roy Tarpley scores six of his 17 points in the final 3:46, including the game-winner, a seven-footer on the left side with 1:08 to play, in leading the Mavericks to a 93-92 win over the Rockets in Game Three. The Rockets have a chance to win with :12 to play when Rodney McCray grabs a rebound from Rolando Blackman, but following a Rockets timeout, Hakeem Olajuwon misses a 15-footer and Sam Perkins slaps the ball back towards midcourt as the game ends. The win snaps a five-game road playoff losing streak and is the third road playoff win in club history. Tarpley’s 17 points leads the way for Dallas — the fewest points ever by a Mavericks leading scorer in a playoff win.
GAME FOUR (MAY 5, 1988) @ THE SUMMIT (16,611) — DALLAS 107, HOUSTON 97. Mark Aguirre busts out of his series-long shooting slump by setting a Mavericks record (regular season and playoffs) for points in a period with 27 points in the third period of Dallas’ 107-97 series-clinching win over the Rockets. Aguirre had averaged 15 ppg on .409 shooting in the first three games of the series, and has just six points on two-of-eight shooting in the first half. Aguirre shoots 10-of-11 (including three-of-four three-pointers) in the third period and finishes with 38 points. The Rockets jump on top early, leading 23-10 with 1:07 to play in the first half. For the series, Hakeem Olajuwon, who has 40 points in Game Four, finishes with 150 points for the series, breaking the NBA record for points in a four-game series, previously held by Bob Pettit of St. Louis (144, set in 1963 vs. Detroit). The win marks the third time in their five-year playoff history that the Mavericks advance to the conference semi-finals.
CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS VS. DENVER
GAME ONE (MAY 10, 1988) @ McNICHOLS ARENA (17,022) — DENVER 126, DALLAS 115. The Midwest Division Champion Nuggets take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-finals by defeating the Mavericks, 126-115. Denver shoots 58 percent for the game and goes 26-of-28 from the free throw line as Fat Lever scores a game-high 30 points (12-of-17 shooting) and grabs 11 rebounds. In the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half, the Mavericks are outscored 28-6 and trail by 20, 73-53, with 8:13 to go in the third period. The Mavericks are within eight points late, but Lever hits a three-pointer, just beating the 24-second buzzer, to put Denver up, 120-109, with :54 remaining.
GAME TWO (MAY 12, 1988) @ McNICHOLS ARENA (17,022) — DALLAS 122, DENVER 108. Rolando Blackman scores 31 points and Roy Tarpley chips in 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Mavericks down the Nuggets, 112-108. The win is Dallas’ first road win ever in the conference semi-finals (Dallas was 0-7 all-time before this). Rolando Blackman hits a jumper with 6:03 to go in the third period, knotting the score at 65 and starting a 13-2 Mavericks run which gives them the lead for good. The victory comes despite Mark Aguirre matching his career playoff low with nine points. Fat Lever and Alex English lead Denver with 22 points apiece. The win is Dallas’ third on the road this postseason after a 2-12 road record in the club’s first four playoff appearances. The win is also Dallas’ 57th win (when combining playoffs and regular season), surpassing the 1986-87 record of 56 combined wins.
GAME THREE (MAY 14, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DENVER 107, DALLAS 105. Denver takes a 2-1 lead in the series as Bill Hanzlik hits a layup with :03 remaining to give the Nuggets their first lead of the game and a 107-105 victory. The Nuggets tie the game at 105 with :35 to go when Hanzlik hits a 10-foot jumper. Following a Dallas timeout, Sam Perkins, who scores a Mavericks-high 17 points, misses a floater in the lane, and the Nuggets grab the rebound with :20 to play. In the final 3:04, the Mavericks are outscored 8-2, getting only a Rolando Blackman jumper at 1:17. The Mavericks lose despite outshooting the Nuggets (.500 to .469) and outrebounding them (50-47). Fat Lever records the first triple-double by an opponent in Mavericks playoff history, scoring 11 points with 11 rebounds and 12 assists. Alex English leads all scorers with 23 points.
GAME FOUR (MAY 15, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 124, DENVER 103. Mark Aguirre scores 34 points as the Mavericks tie the series, 2-2, with a 124-103 win. Denver plays without Fat Lever (strained right knee) and Jay Vincent (pulled right calf muscle). Dallas builds its lead to as much as 26 points (95-69) with :24 left in the third period. Dallas outshoots Denver, .546-.402. Roy Tarpley (24 points and 13 rebounds) records his sixth double-double in eight playoff games coming off the bench.
GAME FIVE (MAY 17, 1988) @ McNICHOLS ARENA (17,022) — DALLAS 110, DENVER 106. On the day Roy Tarpley learns he has won the NBA Sixth Man Award, Mark Aguirre, who scored a Mavericks-high 25 points, cans a three-pointer with :19 remaining to give the Mavericks a 110-106 road win and a 3-1 series advantage. The Nuggets, who play without Fat Lever (strained right knee) and Jay Vincent (pulled right calf) for the second-straight game, miss seven-straight fourth period free throws. Dallas’ lead is cut to 104-102 with 1:22 to play when Danny Schayes connects on two free throws. Brad Davis then penetrates the lane, drawing Alex English away from Aguirre, who’s left open for a three-pointer.
GAME SIX (MAY 19, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 108, DENVER 95. The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their history with a 108-95 win over the Nuggets. The win gives Dallas a 4-2 series win over Denver. Rolando Blackman, who scores 23 points, gives the Mavericks their biggest boost. He scores seven points during a 10-2 run late in the game. Blackman’s efforts help offset a brilliant performance by Denver’s Alex English, who scores 34 points on 16-of-29 shooting. The Nuggets draw within one point, 94-93, when T.R. Dunn hits a 17-footer from the wing with 3:30 to play, but that’s when Blackman takes over. His driving three-point play with 1:00 remaining puts Dallas up, 101-95. Sam Perkins adds 23 points and Roy Tarpley has 18 points and 19 rebounds off the bench.
CONFERENCE FINALS VS. L.A. LAKERS
GAME ONE (MAY 23, 1988) @ THE FORUM (17,505) — L.A. LAKERS 113, DALLAS 98. The Lakers, who lead 52-49 at the half, make 12 of their first 16 shots to begin the third period and build their lead to as much as 76-63 in the third, on the way to defeating Dallas, 113-98, in the Mavericks first-ever appearance in the conference finals. It marks the 10th-straight series in which the Lakers win the opener. Dallas goes on a 15-1 run in the second period to open a 47-42 lead with 4:21 to play in the first half. But Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scores 13 first half points on six-of-seven shooting from the field, ignites a 7-2 run which gives the Lakers a 52-49 lead at the intermission. Sam Perkins, who scores all eight of his points in the second half, keeps the Mavericks, who shoot just .625 from the foul line, within 61-57 with 8:02 to play in the third. Dallas outrebounds the Lakers (39-31) for the first time in their six meetings this season and Roy Tarpley leads the way with a career playoff high/club playoff record-tying 20 rebounds. Tarpley, Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman lead Dallas with 18 points each.
GAME TWO (MAY 25, 1988) @ THE FORUM (17,505) — L.A. LAKERS 123, DALLAS 101. Byron Scott scores 30 points and the Lakers shoot .615 from the field to defeat the Mavericks, 123-101, and take a 2-0 lead in the series. Michael Cooper hits a three-pointer with 10:20 to go in the first half to give the Lakers a lead they never relinquish. Scott, who averaged 29.4 ppg against Dallas in the regular season, scores nine points in the pivotal fourth period, as the Lakers outscore Dallas, 30-22, in the stanza to take a 89-70 lead. Dallas, which for the second-straight game outrebounds the Lakers (36-28), never mounts a serious run in the fourth period as they drop back-to-back games for the first time in the 1988 playoffs.
GAME THREE (MAY 27, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 106, L.A. LAKERS 94. Led by Roy Tarpley, who records the first 20-point/20-rebound game in Mavericks playoff history by scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds (11 on the offensive end), the Mavericks draw within 2-1 of the Lakers in the series with a 106-94 win. Dallas trails, 76-75, after three, but Sam Perkins scores nine points and Tarpley grabs eight rebounds in the fourth period as the Mavericks outscore the Lakers, 31-18. The Mavericks shoot just .452, but compensate by dominating on the boards, 52-33. Mark Aguirre leads all scorers with 23 points, while adding 10 rebounds. For the Mavericks, who have never fallen behind a series 3-0, it’s their first-ever win in the conference finals and gives Coach John MacLeod 45 career playoff wins, moving him past Jack Ramsay into a tie with Alex Hannum for 10th place on the all-time list.
GAME FOUR (MAY 29, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 118, L.A. LAKERS 104. Derek Harper scores 35 points to lead the Mavericks to a 118-104 win over the Lakers and a 2-2 tie in the series. Ahead 89-81 after three periods, the Mavericks outrebound the Lakers, 22-5, in the fourth period and hold the Lakers to just nine-of-20 shooting in the stanza. In a key exchange, Mychal Thompson misses a 12-footer, and James Donaldson grabs the rebound, which leads to a 19-foot jumper by Roy Tarpley to put Dallas up, 101-94. Dallas then holds the Lakers scoreless for nearly three-and-a-half minutes. Harper scores 18 first half points on eight-of-12 shooting to stake the Mavericks to a 57-56 lead at the half. The Mavericks shoot a blazing .549 from the field.
GAME FIVE (MAY 31, 1988) @ THE FORUM (17,505) — L.A. LAKERS 119, DALLAS 102. The Lakers run off to a 17-point lead at halftime and cruise to a 119-102 victory, and a 3-2 lead in the series. The Mavericks jump out to a 10-4 lead in the first 2:30, but the Lakers then rip off a 20-4 run to take a 24-14 advantage. James Worthy, who paces the Lakers with 28 points, hits seven-of-10 shots en route to 18 first half points. Magic Johnson adds to the Lakers first half fire with 11 points, including seven points coming in the final 3:45 of the half (two 19-foot jumpers and a three-pointer). The Lakers shoot .667 for the first half (26-of-39) and 60 percent for the game (51-of-85). Mark Aguirre leads all scorers with 31 points. Detlef Schrempf sprains his right ankle at the end of the third period and is forced to miss the remainder of the series.
GAME SIX (JUNE 2, 1988) @ REUNION ARENA (17,007) — DALLAS 105, L.A. LAKERS 103. The Mavericks come back from the brink of elimination with a 105-103 win over the Lakers to even the series at 3-3. James Donaldson blocks a James Worthy drive across the lane with three seconds left to protect a 104-102 Mavericks lead. Donaldson grabs the rebound and is fouled by Byron Scott with two seconds left. He makes one-of-two free throws to give Dallas the final margin. Mark Aguirre, who scores just four points with five rebounds in the first half, finishes with a Mavericks-high 23 points and 13 rebounds. Aguirre hits a huge shot with 1:28 left, grabbing a miss by Roy Tarpley and converting the follow-up to give Dallas a 104-100 lead. Worthy makes it a 104-102 game with 1:08 left when he gets inside for a layup. But on a drive with 33 seconds left that would have tied the score, Worthy has the ball stripped by Tarpley. Worthy and Byron Scott lead the Lakers with 27 points each.
GAME SEVEN (JUNE 4, 1988) @ THE FORUM (17,505) — L.A. LAKERS 117, DALLAS 102. The Mavericks play their first seventh game ever, but the Lakers pull away in the closing minutes for a 117-102 victory. The Mavericks stay close until late in the third period when the Lakers go on an 11-3 run and go up 87-77. Dallas is within 100-94 with 5:34 to play, but a James Worthy dunk with five minutes to play and a tip-in by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 40 seconds later make it 104-94 and trigger a 15-2 Lakers’ run which wraps it up. James Worthy scores a game-high 28 points. Mark Aguirre scores 24 points to pace the Mavericks. Aguirre misses nearly three minutes in the fourth period after bending back two fingers on his non-shooting hand and aggravating an injury to his knuckles. James Donaldson scores 15 points and grabs 14 rebounds. Donaldson finishes the series with a .744 (32-of-43) field goal percentage — an NBA record for a seven-game series. Upon arriving at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport following the Game Seven loss, 4,500 fans crowd the terminal to welcome the Mavericks home. The Lakers go on to beat the Pistons in the championship series — becoming the NBA’s first repeat champions since the 1968-69 Boston Celtics.
With an April 15 loss, Dallas fell out of first place in the Midwest Division for the first time since December 21. After 110 days at the top, the club was displaced by Denver and finished the year one game behind the Nuggets.
For the sixth consecutive season Aguirre led the team in scoring, with 25.1 points per game. Tarpley won the NBA Sixth Man Award by averaging 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.
Dallas enjoyed its finest postseason run in 1988. After dumping the Houston Rockets in four games and Denver in six, the Mavericks found themselves in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history. All that stood between Dallas and the NBA Finals were the defending NBA-champion Lakers. The Mavericks gave the Lakers all they could handle in the series, but Los Angeles's playoff experience prevailed. The Lakers won the seventh and deciding game, 117-102.
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