National Basketball Association

Throwback Thursday: Dallas Mavericks Win First Playoff Appearance

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Led by Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, the Dallas Mavericks won their very first playoff appearance on April 17, 1984 against the Seattle Supersonics.

In the year 1980, the National Basketball Association decided to bring in an expansion team to the league whom they decided to locate in the city of Dallas, Texas. As most people know, expansion teams go through a very tough growing period considering the team is thrown together with scraps.

One person in particular really knew the struggles of an expansion team. That person was Dallas Mavs first round pick, Kiki Vandeweghe. Vandeweghe hated the idea so much that he refused to ever suit up for the Dallas Mavericks, instead demanding a trade which would eventually land the Dallas Mavericks both Rolando Blackman and Sam Perkins.

Fast forward just a few short years and the Dallas Mavericks are on pace to not only make the playoffs, but own home court advantage for a portion of the postseason. The team was led by the dominant play of both Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman who found their way to a 43-39 record. This was good for 4th in the west.

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It is pretty amazing that a team can go from newly built bottom feeder, to a playoff contender in just a matter of 3 years. Meanwhile, Vandeweghe and the Denver Nuggets sat at the 7-seed in the west in the same year.

Anyways, all that aside, the Mavs were in the postseason for the first time in franchise history. They would be facing the 5-seed Seattle Supersonics in a 5 game series. Game 1 was set to take place in Reunion Arena in Dallas.

The Mavericks proved that they belonged there in the very first game when they beat the Sonics 88-86. The team was led by Mark Aguirre who scored 20 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. ‘Bad’ Brad Davis also played a great game, ending with 17 points and 10 assists. Rolando Blackman and Jay Vincent added 19 and 18, respectively.

Here is a taste of just what Mark Aguirre was capable of in his prime with Dallas.

No matter what the eventual playoff result, this was one of the biggest moments in franchise history for Dallas. These guys really set the tone for the Mavericks teams that we now know and love.

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