The Dallas Mavericks won their first and only title back in 2011, when Dirk Nowitzki led the team to an upset over the then LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Following their title run, some of the key players on the Mavs' championship team left to accept bigger paychecks and longer contracts elsewhere.
However, a lot of people thought that team owner Mark Cuban was the one to blame for the breakup of the Mavs' roster.
One of those people is a former Maverick himself, DeShawn Stevenson. In an interview with HoopsHype's Alex Kennedy, Stevenson said that Dallas would've won another championship if the team kept their roster intact.
“I feel like if Mark Cuban would’ve kept that team together, we would’ve won another [title in 2012],” DeShawn Stevenson said.
“I honestly feel like we would’ve won back-to-back. We would’ve played the Heat again and they would’ve been scared because they knew we had their number.”
During the summer of 2011, Cuban tried to go after big name free agents like Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, which led to him stalling or limiting contract offers to some of their key players. DeShawnStevenson himself signed with the Brooklyn, then New Jersey Nets, that year.
The biggest mistake people see with the Mavs that time was letting Tyson Chandler go. He was instrumental in the team's defense and was a force in the painted area. The team offered him a one-year deal, which he rejected to sign a long-term offer with the New York Knicks.
In 2012, Oklahoma City Thunder was the representatives for the Western Conference and they lost 4-1 to Heat in the Finals.
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