Most Dallas Mavericks fans have attended a game at the American Airlines Center, marveled at Dirk Nowitzki's highlight-reel plays, and remember exactly where they were when the Mavs won the NBA Championship in 2011. But only real fans supported the team through an 11-win season, know the full story of the team coming to Dallas, and followed along every step of the way during the DeAndre Jordan fiasco. 100 Things Mavericks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of Mavs Basketball. Whether you're a die-hard fan from the days of Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman or a newer supporter in the Mark Cuban era, this book contains everything Mavericks fans should know, see, and do in their lifetime. Tim Cato is the editor-in-chief at the popular Mavericks website, Mavs Moneyball , and NBA staff writer for SB Nation . He previously wrote for The Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Express-News . A graduate of the University of North Texas, he lives in Dallas. This is his first book. Mark Cuban has been the owner of the Dallas Mavericks since 2000. He also appears on the ABC television series Shark Tank . 100 Things Mavericks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die By Tim Cato Triumph Books LLC Copyright © 2017 Tim Cato All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62937-422-2 Contents Foreword by Mark Cuban, 1. Dirk Nowitzki Means Everything, 2. 2011 Was Different, 3. Mark Cuban, 4. How the Mavericks Came to Dallas, 5. The 1980s, 6. Moody Madness, 7. The 1990s, 8. Three J's, 9. Just a Kid from Germany, 10. Steve Nash, 11. The Early 2000s, 12. Watch "The Finish Line" and Wonder What Dirk and Nash Could've Been, 13. 2006 Western Conference Finals, 14. 2006 NBA Finals, 15. Jason Terry, 16. A Bittersweet 2007 MVP, 17. Rolando Blackman, 18. The Late 2000s, 19. Rick Carlisle, 20. 2011 Regular Season, 21. Mark Aguirre, 22. 2011 Western Conference First Round, 23. 2011 Western Conference Semifinals, 24. 2011 Western Conference Finals, 25. 1988 Western Conference Finals, 26. Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals, 27. Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals, 28. Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals, 29. Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals, 30. Derek Harper, 31. Tyson Chandler, 32. Free-Agency Failure, 33. DeAndre Jordan, 34. Dirk's Twilight Years, 35. Why the Title Team Broke Up, 36. A Texas-Sized Rivalry, 37. Shawn Marion, 38. Holger, 39. Visit the American Airlines Center, 40. Jason Kidd's Second Stint, 41. Boneheaded Plays, 42. Dirk's Australia Getaway, 43. The Biggest Fan of Them All, 44. Some Good Dirk Stories, 45. Calvin Booth's Layup, 46. Fan Favorites, 47. Reunion Arena, 48. Avery Johnson, 49. Vince Carter, 50. Donnie Nelson, 51. Best Celebrations, 52. Study the Rulebook, 53. Where Dirk Stands All Time, 54. Rick Pitino's Dirk Story, 55. To Draft or Not to Draft, 56. Sam Perkins, 57. Don Nelson, 58. Missed Superstars, 59. Michael Finley, 60. Huge Scoring Games Against Dallas, 61. J.J. Barea, 62. Visit the Gym Dirk Used Growing Up, 63. The One-Legged Jumper, 64. Monta Ellis, 65. Casey Smith, 66. Shawn Bradley, 67. Mark Cuban's Beginnings, 68. Josh Howard, 69. The Mavericks and Hip-Hop, 70. The Phantom Foul, 71. Al Whitley, 72. Dick Motta, 73. The Three-Point Streak, 74. Roy Tarpley, 75. 1998 Nike Hoop Summit, 76. Dennis Rodman, 77. Mavs Fans Can't Stand These Players, 78. The Rajon Rondo Debacle, 79. Fall in Love with the Pre-Rondo Mavericks, 80. How the Mavericks Got Their Name, 81. Brad Davis, 82. Three Franchise-Altering Trades, 83. Chandler Parsons, 84. Other Rivalries, 85. The 11-Win Season, 86. Devin Harris, 87. The Best Dirk Quotes, 88. Wesley Matthews, 89. Deron Williams, 90. Watch the Dirk Nowitzki Documentary, 91. Best Places to Take In Mavericks Fandom, 92. The Best Dirk Nicknames, 93. Rodrigue Beaubois, 94. Mother's Day Massacre, 95. Blog About the Mavericks, 96. Binge-Watch Mavericks Videos, 97. The Best All-Time Guards, 98. The Best All-Time Forwards, 99. The Best All-Time Center, 100. An Oral History of the 24 Hours After the 2011 Finals, Acknowledgments, Sources, CHAPTER 1 Dirk Nowitzki Means Everything Dirk Nowitzki pulls his jersey over his eyes as television cameras broadcast his short trip back to Miami's visiting locker room. There was a reason he had run off the court as soon as the final buzzer sounded, a reason he had hurdled the scorer's table and fled the court even as the Mavericks achieved the everlasting validation of a championship. It's June 12, 2011, and he isn't going to let anyone see him cry. He does it in the locker room instead, where the television cameras couldn't follow, while his teammates are still celebrating on the court. Only when his eyes dry minutes later is a team official able to coax him back onto the floor to accept his NBA Finals MVP and to cradle the Larry O'Brien trophy, moments he had wondered if he would ever experience. "I sti