1987–88 Dallas Mavericks season
| 1987–88 Dallas Mavericks season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | John MacLeod |
| General manager | Norm Sonju |
| Owner | Don Carter |
| Arena | Reunion Arena |
| Results | |
| Record | 53–29 (.646) |
| Place | Division: 2nd (Midwest) Conference: 3rd (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference finals (lost to Lakers 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KTVT (Allen Stone, Dave Barnett) Home Sports Entertainment (Allen Stone, Norm Hitzges) |
| Radio | WBAP (Allen Stone, Dave Barnett) |
The 1987–88 Dallas Mavericks season was the eighth season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. After the resignation of Dick Motta, the Mavericks hired John MacLeod as their new head coach.[1][2][3]
Under MacLeod, the Mavericks got off to an 18–8 start to the regular season, then posted a seven-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 28–15 record at the All-Star break.[4] The team then posted an 11-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, earning the third seed in the Western Conference.[5]
Mark Aguirre averaged 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while Rolando Blackman averaged 18.7 points and 3.7 assists per game, and Derek Harper provided the team with 17.0 points, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, Sam Perkins contributed 14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while second-year forward Roy Tarpley provided with 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year,[6][7][8] and James Donaldson averaged 7.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Also off the bench, Detlef Schrempf contributed 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, and Brad Davis provided with 7.2 points and 4.0 assists per game.[9]
During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Aguirre and Donaldson were both selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team; it was Donaldson's first and only All-Star appearance.[10][11][12] Meanwhile, Schrempf participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second consecutive year,[13][14] despite only making 5 out of 32 three-point field-goal attempts, while shooting .156 in three-point field-goal percentage during the regular season.[9] Aguirre finished tied in 14th place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Perkins finished tied in eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Tarpley finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting.[15]
In the Western Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks faced off against the 6th–seeded Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center Akeem Olajuwon, All-Star guard Sleepy Floyd, and Rodney McCray. The Mavericks won Game 1 over the Rockets at home, 120–110 at the Reunion Arena, but then lost Game 2 at home, 119–108 as the Rockets evened the series. The Mavericks won the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 win over the Rockets at The Summit, 107–97 to win the series in four games.[16]
In the Western Conference Semi-finals, the team faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Midwest Division champion Denver Nuggets, who were led by the trio of All-Star forward Alex English, All-Star guard Fat Lever, and sixth man Jay Vincent. The Mavericks lost Game 1 to the Nuggets on the road, 126–115 at the McNichols Sports Arena, but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 112–108 to even the series. The Mavericks lost Game 3 to the Nuggets at the Reunion Arena, 107–105 as the Nuggets took a 2–1 series lead. However, the Mavericks managed to win the next three games, including a Game 6 home win over the Nuggets at the Reunion Arena, 108–95 to win the series in six games, and advance to the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.[17]
In the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks then faced off against the top–seeded, and defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who won the Pacific Division title, and were led by the quartet of All-Star guard Magic Johnson, All-Star forward James Worthy, Byron Scott and All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Mavericks lost the first two games to the Lakers on the road at the Great Western Forum, but managed to win their next two home games, including a Game 4 win over the Lakers at the Reunion Arena, 118–104. After losing Game 5 at the Great Western Forum, 119–102, the Mavericks won Game 6 over the Lakers at the Reunion Arena, 105–103 to even the series. However, the Mavericks lost Game 7 to the Lakers at the Great Western Forum, 117–102, thus losing in a hard-fought seven-game series.[18] The Lakers would defeat the Detroit Pistons in a full seven-game series in the 1988 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.[19][20][21]
The Mavericks finished fourth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 695,592 at the Reunion Arena during the regular season.[9][22]
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Jim Farmer | Guard | United States | Alabama |
| 2 | 26 | Steve Alford | Guard | United States | Indiana |
| 3 | 66 | Mike Richmond | Forward | United States | UTEP |
| 4 | 89 | David Johnson | Forward | United States | Oklahoma |
| 5 | 112 | Sam Hill | Center | United States | Iowa State |
| 6 | 135 | Quintan Gates | Forward | United States | UTEP |
| 7 | 158 | Gerald White | Guard | United States | Auburn |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
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Regular season
Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 35–6 | 19–22 | 18–12 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 20–10 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 | 33–8 | 14–27 | 18–12 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8 | 31–10 | 15–26 | 13–17 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 31 | 51 | .378 | 23 | 23–18 | 8–33 | 12–18 |
| Sacramento Kings | 24 | 58 | .293 | 30 | 19–22 | 5–36 | 9–21 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | z-Los Angeles Lakers | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 8 |
| 3 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 53 | 29 | .646 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 16 |
| 7 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18 |
| 8 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 31 | 51 | .378 | 31 |
| 9 | Phoenix Suns | 28 | 54 | .341 | 34 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 24 | 58 | .293 | 38 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
Game log
| 1987–88 game log Total: 53–29 (home: 33–8; road: 20–21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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November: 7–5 (home: 5–1; road: 2–4)
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December: 10–3 (home: 6–0; road: 4–3)
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January: 11–4 (home: 5–2; road: 6–2)
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February: 10–5 (home: 7–2; road: 3–3)
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March: 8–6 (home: 6–2; road: 2–4)
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April: 7–5 (home: 4–1; road: 3–4)
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| 1987–88 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Game log
| 1988 playoff game log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Western Conference First Round: 3–1 (home: 1–1; road: 2–0)
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Western Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
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Western Conference Finals: 3–4 (home: 3–0; road: 0–4)
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| 1988 schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and honors
Week/Month
- Roy Tarpley was named Player of the Week for games played February 22 through February 28.[24]
All-Star
- Mark Aguirre was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his third All-Star selection. Aguirre finished seventh in voting among Western Conference forwards with 347,357 votes.[12]
- James Donaldson was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first and only All-Star selection. Donaldson finished fourth in voting among Western Conference centers with 310,100 votes.[25]
- Detlef Schrempf was selected to compete in the Three-Point Shootout. Schrempf was eliminated in the second round.[26]
Season
- Roy Tarpley received the Sixth Man of the Year Award.[27]
- Mark Aguirre finished 14th in MVP voting.[15]
Player statistics
Ragular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Harper | PG | 82 | 82 | 3,032 | 246 | 634 | 168 | 35 | 1,393 | 37.0 | 3.0 | 7.7 | 2.0 | .4 | 17.0 |
| Detlef Schrempf | SF | 82 | 4 | 1,587 | 279 | 159 | 42 | 32 | 698 | 19.4 | 3.4 | 1.9 | .5 | .4 | 8.5 |
| James Donaldson | C | 81 | 81 | 2,523 | 755 | 66 | 40 | 104 | 571 | 31.1 | 9.3 | .8 | .5 | 1.3 | 7.0 |
| Roy Tarpley | PF | 81 | 9 | 2,307 | 959 | 86 | 103 | 86 | 1,093 | 28.5 | 11.8 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 13.5 |
| Mark Aguirre | SF | 77 | 77 | 2,610 | 434 | 278 | 70 | 57 | 1,932 | 33.9 | 5.6 | 3.6 | .9 | .7 | 25.1 |
| Sam Perkins | PF | 75 | 75 | 2,499 | 601 | 118 | 74 | 54 | 1,066 | 33.3 | 8.0 | 1.6 | 1.0 | .7 | 14.2 |
| Brad Davis | PG | 75 | 12 | 1,480 | 102 | 303 | 51 | 18 | 537 | 19.7 | 1.4 | 4.0 | .7 | .2 | 7.2 |
| Uwe Blab | C | 73 | 1 | 658 | 134 | 35 | 8 | 29 | 162 | 9.0 | 1.8 | .5 | .1 | .4 | 2.2 |
| Rolando Blackman | SG | 71 | 69 | 2,580 | 246 | 262 | 64 | 18 | 1,325 | 36.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | .9 | .3 | 18.7 |
| Jim Farmer | SG | 30 | 0 | 157 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 61 | 5.2 | .6 | .5 | .1 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Bill Wennington | C | 30 | 0 | 125 | 39 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 4.2 | 1.3 | .1 | .2 | .3 | 2.1 |
| Steve Alford | PG | 28 | 0 | 197 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 3 | 59 | 7.0 | .8 | .8 | .6 | .1 | 2.1 |
Playoffs
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolando Blackman | SG | 17 | 17 | 672 | 55 | 77 | 15 | 3 | 307 | 39.5 | 3.2 | 4.5 | .9 | .2 | 18.1 |
| Derek Harper | PG | 17 | 17 | 602 | 43 | 121 | 32 | 5 | 230 | 35.4 | 2.5 | 7.1 | 1.9 | .3 | 13.5 |
| Sam Perkins | PF | 17 | 17 | 572 | 112 | 31 | 25 | 17 | 230 | 33.6 | 6.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 13.5 |
| Mark Aguirre | SF | 17 | 17 | 558 | 100 | 56 | 14 | 9 | 367 | 32.8 | 5.9 | 3.3 | .8 | .5 | 21.6 |
| James Donaldson | C | 17 | 17 | 499 | 146 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 158 | 29.4 | 8.6 | .7 | .4 | .9 | 9.3 |
| Roy Tarpley | PF | 17 | 0 | 563 | 219 | 30 | 21 | 26 | 304 | 33.1 | 12.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 17.9 |
| Brad Davis | PG | 17 | 0 | 295 | 20 | 55 | 3 | 5 | 109 | 17.4 | 1.2 | 3.2 | .2 | .3 | 6.4 |
| Detlef Schrempf | SF | 15 | 0 | 274 | 55 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 117 | 18.3 | 3.7 | 1.6 | .5 | .5 | 7.8 |
| Bill Wennington | C | 6 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | .7 | .2 | .2 | .0 | .0 |
| Steve Alford | PG | 4 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 | .5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Jim Farmer | SG | 3 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Uwe Blab | C | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.7 | .3 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
Transactions
Free agents
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason Left | New Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 30, 1987 | Dennis Nutt | Waived | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| November 17, 1987 | Al Wood | Waived | Basket Mestre (Italy) |
References
- ^ Arters, Stephen L. (June 4, 1987). "Former Phoenix Suns Coach John MacLeod Thursday Was Named..." United Press International. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "Mavericks, Bucks Name Coaches". Los Angeles Times. June 5, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "Harris, MacLeod Are Hired". The Washington Post. News Services and Staff Reports. June 5, 1987. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "NBA Games Played on February 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1987–88 Dallas Mavericks Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "Tarpley Is Sixth Man Winner". The Washington Post. News Services. May 18, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ Goldaper, Sam (May 19, 1988). "N.B.A. Notebook; Lakers and Celtics Struggle". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "NBA Sixth Man of the Year (John Havlicek Trophy) Award Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c "1987–88 Dallas Mavericks Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ Barnard, Bill (February 7, 1988). "Today's NBA All-Star Game Will Be Homecoming of Sorts for 3 Players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1988 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ a b "1988 NBA All-Star Game: East 138, West 133". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "Field Set for NBA Dunk Contest". The Daily Record. United Press International. January 13, 1988. p. 11. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ a b "1987–88 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1988 NBA Western Conference First Round: Rockets vs. Mavericks". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1988 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Mavericks vs. Nuggets". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1988 NBA Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ Goldaper, Sam (June 22, 1988). "N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Lakers Hold Off Pesky Pistons to Regain Their Title". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "Lakers Repeat as Champions in Tight Game". Los Angeles Times. June 22, 1988. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1988 NBA Finals: Pistons vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ^ "1987–88 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ "1987 NBA DRAFT". thedraftreview.com.
- ^ "Tarpley tabbed". The Times-News.
- ^ "1988 NBA All-Star Game Voting". basketball-reference.com.
- ^ "NBA.com: Three-Point Contest All-Time Winners". nba.com/history. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ^ "Dallas's Tarpley receives Sixth Man Award". Herald-Journal.
- ^ "1987-88 Dallas Mavericks Transactions". basketball-reference.com.