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What’s an MFFL? What to know about Mavericks fans as the NBA Finals come to Dallas

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What’s an MFFL? What to know about Mavericks fans as the NBA Finals come to Dallas


The Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have led a spectacular run to get Dallas to the sport’s biggest stage, taking down three higher-seeded teams in the Clippers, Thunder, and Timberwolves to get to this point.

While the Celtics present a massive challenge for the Mavericks — proven by the 2-0 series lead they built in Boston — the American Airlines Center will have incredible energy with the NBA Finals back in Dallas. If you’re joining the bandwagon for the first time since the 2011 championship run, here’s what to know about Mavs fans:

How did calling fans MFFLs start?

If you are a Mavs fan, you are considered an “MFFL,” which stands for “Mavs Fan for Life.” The term originated in the early-to-mid 2000s around the time the Dirk Nowitzki era in Dallas was beginning to gain momentum. Prior to Nowitzki, the Mavericks were a bit of a laughing stock in the NBA and didn’t have a strong following around Dallas.

Mark Cuban popularized the term during his time as the primary owner of the Mavs. It stuck and has become a staple of Mavs fandom. The promotion of the term “MFFLs” is impossible to miss when attending games at the American Airlines Center.

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Where did they play before AAC?

Reunion Arena was the home of the Mavs from 1980 to 2001, until the Mavs and Stars both moved to the AAC in 2001. Reunion Arena’s capacity for Mavs games was 18,190, and it was officially demolished in November of 2009.

“Reunion Rowdies” are the original MFFLs. Those are the fans that lived and died with the team from the early 1980s. Back then, the Mavericks games would occasionally be relocated to Moody Coliseum at SMU because other events were being held at Reunion Arena. This even happened during a playoff game against the Seattle SuperSonics. In a much smaller venue like Moody Coliseum, it was significantly louder.

(April 26, 1984): Moody Madness took place as the Mavericks had to move out of Reunion Arena because of a tennis conflict and play at SMU’s Moody Coliseum, where they won Game 5 against Seattle, 105-104, in overtime and moved on to the second round of the playoffs. Ro Blackman led the way, but the Mavericks lost to the LA Lakers in five games in the next series.

“The tickets were cheap, the beer was cheap, and it was the place to be,” remarked longtime journalist Mike Fisher.

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Longtime Mavs owner Mark Cuban was also once a Reunion Rowdy himself, which explains his unique passion for the team he owns.

Who are the ManiAACs, and what else do they have?

The old Reunion Rowdies turned into what we know as MFFLs, but there’s another unique sect of Mavs fans. The Mavs ManiAACs became the first all-male performance squad in the NBA in 2002.

The Mavs ManiAACs dance during the Mavericks watch party at AT&T  Discovery District in...
The Mavs ManiAACs dance during the Mavericks watch party at AT&T Discovery District in Dallas, TX on Friday April 21, 2024.(Nathan Hunsinger / Special Contributor)

The ManiAACs are usually located around the top of the AAC’s lower bowl, constantly performing during timeouts. They go out and perform on the court with dance routines and eccentric outfits, and have become a true staple and one of the more fun aspects of attending a Mavs game. You can’t go to a Mavs game without seeing a ManiAACs performance.

The Mavericks have also evolved their in-game entertainment aside from the ManiAACs. The “Mavs Hoop Troop” is a co-ed entertainment squad brought in under the guidance of CEO Cynt Marshall in March of 2020.

Who is Guitar Slayer?

Arguably the most entertaining part of attending a NBA game is the showmanship of the starting lineups.

The Mavs’ starting lineup announcements are no different. Amid an incredible highlight montage with incredible music (more on that next), Justin “GuitarSlayer” Lyons adds his own touch to the intro song. Lyons is up on a stage at midcourt amid flashing lights, pyrotechnics, and more. He provides incredible guitar riffs to enhance the Mavs’ longtime intro song, “Eminence Front.”

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Justin "GuitarSlayer" Lyons performs as the team is introduced before Game 3 of the NBA...
Justin “GuitarSlayer” Lyons performs as the team is introduced before Game 3 of the NBA basketball Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, May 26, 2024, in Dallas.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)

Lyons is from the Dallas area, specifically in Oak Cliff. The 38-year-old began his career in gospel and later transitioned into blues.

“I’m honored to be able to re-craft [a song] that’s been part of the team’s legacy for 23 years,” he said in an interview. “I’m going to channel all my winning energy into the building and pray it helps them keep winning.”

“Eminence Front”: Mavs’ intro song

Since 2001, The Who’s “Eminence Front” has blared in the AAC as the Mavs introduction song. If you’ve been to a Mavericks game before, you recognize it immediately.

It is a rhythmic mixture of synthesizers, guitar riffs, and drums. The Who’s Pete Townshend is a fan of the song’s usage.

“That’s a wonderful use of the song,” he said.

Matt Fitzgerald, the Mavs’ former marketing chief picked the song when the team moved to the AAC in 2001. He wanted a song without lyrics building towards a crescendo like the Chicago Bulls’ iconic intro song “Eye in the Sky” by the Alan Parsons Project.

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“It’s become iconic,” Mark Cuban said. “It isn’t going anywhere.”

What’s the deal with the City Edition uniforms and court?

NBA teams each unveil a new Nike NBA City Edition uniform every year. The Mavericks’ 2023-24 City Edition uniform has become quite popular partly because the team has often worn them during an incredible playoff run, but also because the sleek black uniforms are incredibly popular with the fans.

The new uniform is named “Trinity River Blues” and pays homage to the history of Southern Blues music. The Mavs collaborated with Grammy Award-winning recording artist and North Texas native Leon Bridges in the creation of the uniform.

The font for the “Mavs” on the front of the uniform is a tribute to vintage Texas R&B album covers, according to the Mavericks team website. On the shorts is an outline of the state of Texas with audio waves of the spoken words “Leon Bridges”.

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    Five thoughts: Mavericks in dire situation as Celtics take 2-0 NBA Finals lead

Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.





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Dallas, TX

Dallas faces conference rival Denver

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Dallas faces conference rival Denver


Associated Press

Denver Nuggets (22-15, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (22-16, fifth in the Western Conference)

Dallas; Sunday, 3 p.m. EST

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BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets visit Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

The Mavericks have gone 16-13 against Western Conference opponents. Dallas is ninth in the NBA with 45.2 rebounds led by Dereck Lively averaging 8.2.

The Nuggets have gone 14-10 against Western Conference opponents. Denver is third in the NBA scoring 120.6 points per game while shooting 49.9%.

The Mavericks average 116.4 points per game, 0.1 fewer points than the 116.5 the Nuggets give up. The Nuggets score 8.8 more points per game (120.6) than the Mavericks allow (111.8).

TOP PERFORMERS: Irving is shooting 49.0% and averaging 24.3 points for the Mavericks.

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Russell Westbrook is shooting 45.9% and averaging 12.9 points for the Nuggets.

LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 4-6, averaging 111.1 points, 43.9 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.0 steals and 7.1 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points per game.

Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 122.8 points, 45.5 rebounds, 32.0 assists, 8.4 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.1 points.

INJURIES: Mavericks: Dante Exum: out (wrist), Luka Doncic: out (calf), Kyrie Irving: out (illness).

Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), Jamal Murray: day to day (knee), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Spencer Jones: day to day (thigh), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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Former Dallas Cowboys DE, Robert Quinn, arrested in South Carolina

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Former Dallas Cowboys DE, Robert Quinn, arrested in South Carolina


Robert Quinn (Charleston Co. Jail)

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Robert Quinn was arrested in South Carolina Friday morning after police said he tried to leave the scene of an accident.

Quinn, 34, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage and reckless driving, jail records show.

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What we know:

Police in North Charleston, South Carolina responded to a car dealership just after 2 a.m. Friday because of a collision involving a red truck.

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The North Charleston Fire Department arrived first on the scene and told police that the suspect might be attempting to leave the scene of the crash in another car.

When police arrived, they found Quinn in the passenger seat of a white Dodge Challenger that had its reverse lights on. The vehicle’s driver placed the car in park and told police she had been called by Quinn to “pick him up,” according to a police report.

Police said Quinn had visible injuries to his head and face, had slurred speech and was uncooperative with officers who asked for his identification.

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Quinn eventually provided his identification to officers, but asked himself “where is my wallet” while his wallet was in his hand before dropping it in his lap.

The police report states a maroon Ford F-150 registered to Quinn was on the other side of the parking lot and looked to be the vehicle that started the collision.

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Police said Quinn’s truck hit the passenger side of a Honda Element, which was pushed into a blue Ford F-150 that hit another car.

Officers asked Quinn to get out of the Challenger, but Quinn resisted by holding the door to the car, the report states. Police removed Quinn from the vehicle, and he was “escorted to the ground” by officers because he was trying to pull away from them.

Officers interviewed the woman with Quinn, who said she had met him at G-Club, a gentleman’s club, where she works, earlier that night.

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Another employee of the club came to the scene and said Quinn had left alone about an hour before the collision happened.

Timeline:

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Police said they used city cameras to build a timeline of the crash.

The police report states Quinn’s truck was seen driving down the road around 2 a.m. Friday and was veering left, crossed an intersection, a median and then onto dealership property.

City cameras did not pick up the collision, but it can be heard, the police report states.

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Police said around 2:03 a.m. a single person is seen walking through the parking lot and a few minutes later that person walked to a Valero gas station.

At 2:07 a.m., the person is seen walking back to the dealership parking lot while stumbling and falling several times, the police report states.

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About a minute later, a white Dodge Challenger is seen entering the parking lot around the same time that the fire department arrived, according to the report.

Dallas Cowboys Defensive End

Quinn played the 2019 season with the Dallas Cowboys after being traded from the Miami Dolphins for a sixth-round pick.

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Quinn was suspended for the first two games of the season after violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He was named the team’s starting right defensive end when he was reinstated.

Quinn finished the season with 25 tackles, 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles.

Quinn signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Chicago Bears the following season.

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Quinn was drafted 14th overall by the St. Louis Rams in 2011 and spent six years with the team before going to Miami, Dallas, Chicago and ending his career in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Quinn was born in North Charleston, South Carolina, where he played high school football before playing college football for the University of North Carolina.

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The backstory:

This isn’t Quinn’s first tangle with law enforcement.

July 2012 – Florissant, Mo.

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Quinn was arrested for driving while intoxicated in July 2012 in Florissant, Missouri, while a member of the St. Louis Rams. 

Florissant police said Quinn was involved in a single-car accident on an exit ramp of Interstate 270 on July 10, 2012. Police said he was cooperative with them during the arrest.

Quinn was also charged with failure to exercise a high degree of care and having no insurance.

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August 2023 – Summerville, S.C.

In August 2023, Quinn was arrested in Summerville, South Carolina after police found four unoccupied vehicles in a subdivision had been damaged.

At some point, Quinn allegedly exited his vehicle and got into a physical altercation with a woman before leaving the scene.

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According to an accident report, a Ford F-150 truck crashed into multiple vehicles. Responding officers proceeded to search the vehicle and found an empty whiskey bottle on the passenger side floorboard.

Per the police report, the unidentified woman was sitting in her driveway when the suspect hit two parked vehicles. The driver then exited the truck and offered to buy her beer, the woman told investigators.

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Quinn was charged with third-degree assault and battery, hit-and-run of an attended vehicle, four counts of hit-and-run property damage and striking fixtures on or adjacent to the highway.

What’s next:

Quinn was booked into the Charleston County, South Carolina jail.

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Jail records show Quinn has a preliminary court date set for Feb. 27, 2025.

The Source: Information in this article comes from the North Charleston police department and previous FOX reporting.

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Dallas Snowfall Totals: How much snow fell on Thursday and Friday?

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Dallas Snowfall Totals: How much snow fell on Thursday and Friday?


North Texas got less snow than expected overnight.

FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Evan Andrews said it was one of those crazy forecasts where some people got exactly what they expected, and others got the opposite.

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“Some of you got that heavier precipitation [on Thursday]. Others were waiting for some overnight, and the precip overnight really never got going. We got a little bit of light snow on the backend but not a ton,” he said.

For snow lovers, the snow that was on the ground from Thursday is still there. However, the total accumulation did not increase much overnight. 

Snowfall Totals (as of 4 a.m. Friday)

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Overall, the areas of highest accumulation were north of Highway 182 in Cooke and Grayson counties. Areas like Gainesville, Sherman, and Bonham got more than 6 inches of snow.

A lot of people in Wise, Denton, and Collin counties got between 3 and 6 inches.

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Fort Worth and North Dallas saw between 1 and 3 inches.

People south of Dallas got less than an inch of snow.

Thursday Snowfall (as of 9 p.m.)

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Future Snowfall

No additional accumulation is expected on Friday, with the exception of maybe a few light flakes early Friday morning.

The Source: The information in this story comes from the FOX 4 Weather team.

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