Mavericks’ Luka Doncic denies having Game 2 exchange with Celtics governor Wyc Grousbeck
Five thoughts: Mavericks in dire situation as Celtics take 2-0 NBA Finals lead
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:
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.
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.
“The tickets were cheap, the beer was cheap, and it was the place to be,” remarked longtime journalist Mike Fisher.
Longtime Mavs owner Mark Cuban was also once a Reunion Rowdy himself, which explains his unique passion for the team he owns.
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 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.
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.”
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.”
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.
“It’s become iconic,” Mark Cuban said. “It isn’t going anywhere.”
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.
From the heart of Texas Blues, to the soulful sounds of Grammy Award-winning Recording Artist and Fort Worth Native, Leon Bridges. We Present to you, Trinity River Blues 🎶🏀@chime // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/FB0Ux4pn7u
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) November 2, 2023
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”.
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Bo Dallas says all he ever wanted was to be like his brother.
It was widely been known that Bo Dallas was the man under the Uncle Howdy mask. As Uncle Howdy, he briefly worked with his brother, Bray Wyatt, at the end of Wyatt’s time in WWE. Howdy was then absent for over a year, as Wyatt passed away in August.
Uncle Howdy returned on the June 17 episode of WWE RAW, and the Wyatt Sicks made a violent first impression as they laid out everyone backstage. The following week, Nikki Cross of the Wyatt Sicks gave Michael Cole a VHS tape. WWE played the tape, and Uncle Howdy was shown talking to someone, who was revealed to be Dallas.
Howdy asked Dallas what it felt like when his brother died. Dallas said that all he ever wanted was to be like his brother, and he wanted to be him. He said that they were going to rule together, and they finally made it, but it was taken away. Dallas said that nobody felt what he did from this loss.
Howdy asked Bo Dallas if he felt like he was exposing his brother’s legacy. Dallas said that they wanted to forget about him, and the rest of the group, but they made everyone remember. Howdy said they did, and the two of them were shown sitting together.
WWE Raw Results (6/24/24)
The Dallas Cowboys have a number of question marks on their roster, but one area there is no reason for concern is in the trenches.
Dallas has future Hall of Famer Zack Martin and former first-round pick Tyler Smith, who has blossomed into one of the best at his position, as starting offensive guards.
The Martin and Smith duo has been so impressive, in fact, that Pro Football Focus ranks them as the top offensive guard duo in the NFL.
MORE: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys’ 9x All-Pro, could be making farewell tour in 2024
“Martin over the past two seasons hasn’t been at his previous level of earning 90.0-plus PFF grades, but he has still been one of the top pass-blockers at the position. His 75.1 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2023 ranked 10th after he allowed just 24 quarterback pressures from 655 pass-blocking snaps,” Gordon McGuinness of PFF writes.
“Left guard Tyler Smith is ascending, coming off a season in which he ranked eighth among guards in PFF run-blocking grade (80.7).”
Throughout his NFL career, Martin has been a nine-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler. He was named to the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade Team.
In his 152 career starts, Martin has allowed only 16.5 sacks. Last season, Martin allowed four sacks in 908 snaps played.
Smith, meanwhile, is a two-time Pro Bowler and was a second-team All-Pro in 2023. He was the Cowboys’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tulsa. Smith played primarily as a tackle in his rookie season but moved to a full-time guard in 2023 and proved why he was a first-round talent.
Because of the dominance of Martin and Smith in the trenches, the Cowboys should be able to make up for the lack of a star running back leading the backfield.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
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