2000–01 Dallas Mavericks season

The 2000–01 NBA season was the 21st season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. The Mavericks received the twelfth overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft, and selected power forward Etan Thomas out of Syracuse University; the team also acquired shooting guard, and first-round draft pick Courtney Alexander out of Fresno State University from the Orlando Magic, power forward, and first-round draft pick Donnell Harvey out of the University of Florida from the New York Knicks, and power forward, and second-round draft pick Eduardo Nájera out of the University of Oklahoma from the Houston Rockets.

During the off-season, the team acquired Christian Laettner and Loy Vaught from the Detroit Pistons in two separate trades, and acquired Howard Eisley from the Utah Jazz in a four-team trade. In their final season at the Reunion Arena, the Mavericks showed improvement by winning ten of their first fifteen games of the regular season, and played above .500 basketball for the entire season, holding a 31–19 record at the All-Star break.

However, Thomas was out for the entire season due to a toe injury, and never played for the Mavericks; at mid-season, he was traded along with Laettner, Vaught, Alexander and Hubert Davis to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Juwan Howard, second-year center Calvin Booth, and second-year forward Obinna Ekezie. The team also signed free agent Vernon Maxwell, who was previously released by the Philadelphia 76ers. The Mavericks finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, earned the #5 seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1989–90 season, ending a ten-year playoff drought.

Dirk Nowitzki averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, led the team with 151 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Michael Finley averaged 21.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game, and was selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game in Washington, D.C., which was his second and final All-Star selection. In addition, Steve Nash showed improvement averaging 15.6 points and 7.3 assists per game, while Eisley contributed 9.0 points and 3.6 assists per game, and Shawn Bradley provided the team with 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Nash finished in third place in Most Improved Player voting, while Nowitzki finished tied in fifth place, and head coach Don Nelson finished in third place in Coach of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks trailed 2–0 to the 4th-seeded Utah Jazz, but managed to win the next three games, thus winning the series 3–2, and winning their first playoff series since the 1987–88 season. However, they would lose in the Western Conference Semi-finals to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

Following the season, Eisley was traded to the New York Knicks in a three-team trade, while Gary Trent signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Booth signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, Ekezie was released to free agency, and Maxwell retired.