Since the formation of the Dallas Mavericks in 1980, Texas has had three NBA teams — the Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs.
Each team has at least one championship in that timeframe with multiple appearances in the NBA Finals. Each team has had bad seasons but by and large, NBA fans in Texas have been treated to at least respectable basketball — until this season.
The Spurs and Rockets have been bad all year. They are by far the worst two teams in the Western Conference and will finish with the second and third-worst records in the NBA, ahead of only the Detroit Pistons. Dallas, though, spent much of the season in playoff contention. When the Mavericks traded for Kyrie Irving in February, they were the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that they would at least make the play-in tournament.
But Dallas went on a hard slide. And on Friday night, the Mavericks were eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The Dallas Mavericks have been eliminated from playoff contention, and the final possession summed things up. 🏀pic.twitter.com/bTRpwTJz7l
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 8, 2023
For the first time since Texas had three NBA teams, the Spurs, Rockets and Mavericks will be watching the postseason from home.
The Spurs, Rockets and Mavericks have been eliminated from postseason contention.
This is the first time all 3 Texas teams will miss the playoffs in the same season since the Mavericks became a franchise in 1980-81. pic.twitter.com/vHFnaG05Dj
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 8, 2023
Fans took to Twitter to react to the end of the historic streak.
Well good thing it’s a football state anyway lol https://t.co/zXzgWEMHnU
— Coach Carlos Whitmire SR. (@CoachWhitmire) April 8, 2023
We're a baseball state now, I guess. https://t.co/gwEJsMob3F
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) April 8, 2023
— KEYRON (@KeyronL) April 8, 2023
That’s a long time ago. https://t.co/DQU2phk9ZZ
— Josh Sr (@Whoisjoshsr) April 8, 2023
Amazingly, even cutting the streak off in the 1980-81 season is somewhat misleading.
While the Mavericks didn’t exist until 1980, the Spurs made the NBA playoffs every year from 1977-1984. The Rockets also made the NBA playoffs in 1977, 1979 and 1980. So, the last time the NBA Playoffs didn’t feature a team from Texas was 1976, the final season before the NBA-ABA merger.
First time the NBA playoffs will be without a Texas team since 1976, the last year before a little thing called the NBA-ABA merger. https://t.co/rmffyYmbyr
— With EVERYBODY Sayin' – C! J! Writes! YEAH! (@CJWritesNThangs) April 8, 2023
The Spurs were one of the four teams that merged from the ABA to the NBA prior to the 1976-77 season. So, they obviously didn’t make the NBA Playoffs before 1977. They did, however, make the ABA Playoffs in 1974, 1975 and 1976.
So, playoff basketball has been a fixture in Texas for the last 50 years.
That’s quite a streak to come to an end.
