Background
The Dallas Mavericks franchise joined the NBA in the 1980–81 season. During the mid-1980s they rose to become contenders in the Western Conference, culminating in a 1988 conference finals appearance, which they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The Mavericks would decline shortly after, and from 1988–2000, they missed the playoffs in eleven of those years, including a combined 24 wins from 1992–94. However, with the purchase of the team to Mark Cuban, and the addition of Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks slowly returned to playoff prominence. The 2005–06 season would see Dallas reach even greater heights. Led by Nowitzki and coached by Avery Johnson, they won 60 games. In the playoffs, they swept the Memphis Grizzlies, then overcame their Texas archrivals the San Antonio Spurs in seven games, and made their first Finals appearance by ousting league MVP and former Mav Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns in six games.
The Miami Heat joined the league in the 1988–89 season, but they did not rise to prominence until they hired Pat Riley to be their head coach and president before the 1995–96 season. In Riley's first stint, the Heat were playoff regulars between 1996–2001, but they couldn't beat the likes of the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. In 2003, Riley temporarily ceded coaching responsibilities to Stan Van Gundy, and with rising star Dwyane Wade in the fold, the Heat returned to the playoffs after missing the previous two seasons. The 2004 offseason saw the addition of Shaquille O'Neal, and with Wade and O'Neal performing well, the Heat won 59 games in the 2004–05 season. However, the Detroit Pistons had their number in the playoffs. The following season, after an early 11–10 start, Van Gundy resigned and Riley returned to coaching. Though injuries and lack of chemistry hobbled the Heat, they still managed to win 52 games that season. In the playoffs, they defeated the Bulls in six games, then eliminated the New Jersey Nets in five games, and then ousted the Pistons in six games to reach the NBA Finals for the first time.
Read more about this topic: 2006 NBA Finals
Famous quotes containing the word background:
“They were more than hostile. In the first place, I was a south Georgian and I was looked upon as a fiscal conservative, and the Atlanta newspapers quite erroneously, because they didn’t know anything about me or my background here in Plains, decided that I was also a racial conservative.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)
“I had many problems in my conduct of the office being contrasted with President Kennedy’s conduct in the office, with my manner of dealing with things and his manner, with my accent and his accent, with my background and his background. He was a great public hero, and anything I did that someone didn’t approve of, they would always feel that President Kennedy wouldn’t have done that.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)
“... every experience in life enriches one’s background and should teach valuable lessons.”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)