The 2002-2003 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks strengthen their position as one of the best NBA teams and produced many team and individual accomplishments. After starting the NBA season on fire and winning their first 14 NBA games, Dallas Mavericks made franchise history by concluding the NBA season with a 60-22 mark, that eclipsed the 2001-2002 season record of 57-25. The 60-22 record was the team's ninth winning season in franchise history and also made Dallas Mavericks one of three NBA basketball teams to post 50 wins in three successive seasons. Dallas Mavericks turned out to be the first NBA team to clinch a playoff spot in mid March. Dallas Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1988, before bowing out to the ultimate World Champion, San Antonio Spurs in six games. The Dallas Mavericks playoff run consisted of 20 NBA games marking the longest post season run in Mavs Basketball history.

The Dallas Mavericks where led by Don Nelson, in his 25th year as a head coach, to their 60-22 record. Nellie has led Dallas Mavericks to a better record in each of the last four NBA seasons. Only seven other coaches in NBA basketball history have ever accomplished this astonishing feat. Nellie has guided teams to 50 win seasons 12 times and now has coached two NBA teams to 60 win seasons. Nellie was called the Western Conference Coach of the Month in November.

Along with the guidance of Don Nelson, Dallas Mavericks "Big Three" of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Michael Finley combined once again for a powerful punch. Dirk joined Mark Aguirre as the only Dallas Mavericks to score 2,000 points or more in a single NBA season. While scoring his 2,011 points, Nowitzki sustained to show his flexibility ranking first on the team in points (25.1), rebounds (9.9) and steals (1.35) as well as averaging 39 minutes per game. Nowitzki has enhanced each year with Dallas Mavericks as he has increased his scoring average over each of the last five NBA seasons.

Steve Nash kept on proving why he is one of the top point guards in the NBA by ranking as the team's third leading scorer (17.7 ppg) and the top assist man with 7.3 apg. This NBA season, Steve Nash recorded career highs in free throws made and attempted free throw percentage, steals and total blocks. Steve Nash set a franchise record by making an incredible 49 free throws in a row. That mark surpassed current player development coach, Rolando Blackman's record of 45 successive free throws.

The third member of the "Big Three" Michael Finley played exceptional basketball for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2002-2003 NBA season. The two-time All-Star reached the 10,000 point mark for his Dallas Maverick career and turned out to be the fourth all-time leading scorer in Dallas Mavericks history. Finley averaged 19.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.0 apg and played an unbelievable 38.3 mpg. Finley also set career highs in points (42), rebounds (15), three pointers made (7), free throws made (15) and attempted (17).

With the new potential and goals, Dallas Mavericks look poised to make a run for the Championship in 2003-2004.

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Don Nelson won a $6.3 million arbitration suit against Mark Cuban, settling a long-running feud between the former Mavericks coach and the billionaire owner.

"It was not so much a defeat of Cuban as it was an (tail)-whipping," Nelson's attorney John O'Connor told the Dallas Morning News. "Cuban's lawyers did a good job of painting lips on a pig."

The basis of the suit was Cuban's unwillingness to pay Nelson deferred salary after Nelson left the Mavs to coach Golden State. Cuban claimed Nelson, who was a team consultant at the time, violated a non-compete clause by taking the Warriors' job.

Cuban counterclaimed that Nelson used "inside information" to beat the Mavs in the 2007 playoffs.

Cuban told the Contra-Costa Times via email: "I breached the consulting...

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