1997–98 Dallas Mavericks season

The 1997–98 Dallas Mavericks season was the 18th season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Mavericks acquired three-point specialist Dennis Scott from the Orlando Magic, and signed free agent Hubert Davis.

With the addition of Scott and Davis, the Mavericks won their first three games of the regular season, but continued to struggle posting a 10-game losing streak afterwards. Head coach Jim Cleamons was fired after a 4–12 start to the season, and was replaced with General Manager Don Nelson. Along the way, forward A.C. Green broke the NBA's "Iron Man" record of most consecutive games played, breaking Randy Smith's record, which was 906 consecutive games. The Mavericks won their first game under Nelson, in a home victory over the New York Knicks by a score of 105–91 at the Reunion Arena on December 4, 1997. However, the team posted a 15-game losing streak between December and January afterwards, which led to a dreadful 5–27 start to the season. Players like Shawn Bradley, Robert Pack, Kurt Thomas and second-year forward Samaki Walker all missed large parts of the season due to injuries, as the team held a 9–38 record at the All-Star break.

At mid-season, the team traded Scott to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Cedric Ceballos; Ceballos only played just twelve games with the Mavericks due to a season-ending knee injury. The team also signed free agent Shawn Respert, who was previously released by the Toronto Raptors. The Mavericks played around .500 in winning percentage by posting an 8–8 record in March, but then lost eight of their final nine games of the season, finishing in fifth place in the Midwest Division with a 20–62 record, and missing the NBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.

Michael Finley averaged 21.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, while Ceballos averaged 16.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game after the trade, and Bradley provided the team with 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. In addition, Davis contributed 11.1 points per game and led the Mavericks with 101 three-point field goals, while Walker provided with 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in only just 41 games, Khalid Reeves contributed 8.7 points per game, Pack averaged 7.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game in only just 12 games, second-year guard Erick Strickland contributed 7.6 points and 2.5 assists per game, and Green provided with 7.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Davis participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second time; Davis lost in the final round to Jeff Hornacek of the Utah Jazz. Finley finished tied in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting, and also finished tied in 18th place in Most Valuable Player voting. The Mavericks finished 26th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 503,936 at the Reunion Arena during the regular season, which was the fourth-lowest in the league. Following the season, Thomas signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks, while second-year forward Martin Muursepp, and rookie small forward, and second-round draft pick Bubba Wells were both traded to the Phoenix Suns, and Respert was released to free agency.

One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on December 6, 1997, in which the Mavericks traveled to Mexico City, Mexico to play against the Houston Rockets at the Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace). Despite the Mavericks being the home team, the fans cheered for the Rockets. The Mavericks lost to the Rockets by a score of 108–106, in front of a sellout crowd of 20,635 fans in attendance; Finley led the team with 35 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. It was the first ever NBA regular season game played in Mexico.

Another notable highlight of the season occurred on December 29, 1997, in a road game against the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls at the United Center; Wells fouled out of the game in just three minutes, which was an NBA record for fouling out in the shortest amount of time. Nelson used a strategy for Wells to foul Bulls forward, and rebound-specialist Dennis Rodman, who is known as a poor free throw shooter. However, the plan backfired as Rodman shot 9–12 from the foul line, and the Bulls defeated the Mavericks, 111–105. The Bulls would go on to defeat the Utah Jazz in six games in the 1998 NBA Finals for their third consecutive NBA championship, and sixth overall in eight years.