1988-1989
From MavsWiki
Won 38, Injuries plagued the 1988-89 Mavericks, who saw their record tumble to 38-44. It was Dallas's first losing season and first time out of the playoffs since 1982-83. The Mavericks started the campaign 9-3 before chaos descended. By January the team was beginning to swerve out of control. Roy Tarpley was suspended indefinitely on January 5 for violating the league's antidrug policy. A week later the disoriented Mavericks lost their sixth straight game.
In mid-February the Mavericks sent Mark Aguirre to the soon-to-be NBA champion Detroit Pistons in exchange for Adrian Dantley. Both were superbly talented players with reputations for moodiness. When Dantley heard about the trade he refused to report to Dallas, although he finally showed up eight days later. While Dantley was still holding out, Dallas traded Detlef Schrempf to Indiana for Herb Williams. The versatile Schrempf eventually won two NBA Sixth Man Awards with the Pacers before joining a talent-laden Seattle team in 1993.
On March 10 James Donaldson went down with a ruptured patella tendon, was carried off the floor on a stretcher, and missed the rest of the season. The decimated Dallas team had lost several key players, had suffered emotional turmoil, and had a tough time regaining its mental focus. The remainder of the year (which included a 12-game losing streak in March) was simply time spent waiting for the offseason.
The Mavericks bounced back in 1989-90, returning to the playoffs with a 47-35 record. Dallas was still a solid, talented, defense-minded team, with a roster that included Adrian Dantley, Herb Williams, Roy Tarpley, Sam Perkins, Rolando Blackman, and Derek Harper.
However, it was another tumultuous season. On November 15, six games into the schedule, Tarpley was arrested for driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest. After 11 games and a 5-6 record, Coach John MacLeod was replaced by Assistant Coach Richie Adubato. The team struggled to midseason but then put together modest winning streaks of seven, five, and six games. Harper scored a career-high 42 points on December 29 against Portland. Donaldson, Dallas's all-time leading rebounder, pulled down 27 boards in the same game.
The team surged at the end of the year. On April 4 the Mavericks tied the biggest comeback in club history, surging from 19 points down to defeat the San Antonio Spurs. Sam Perkins scored a career-high 45 points on April 12 to lead Dallas to a win at Golden State. The Mavericks closed out the season with four straight victories, then drew the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers blitzed Dallas in three straight on their way to the NBA Finals.
Won 38, lost 44 (fourth, Midwest)
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