Thanks to the incredible playoff performances of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011.

The series against the Boston Celtics kicks off June 6, and it got us thinking about all the ways Dallas has changed since the last time we made it to the top of the basketball world.

Back in 2011, the idea of global pandemic was as foreign as Donald Trump being president – or a convicted felon – a quaint time indeed. Locally, democrat Mike Rawlings had just been elected mayor of Dallas and the median home price in DFW was a mere $146,988.

The Mavericks entered the 2011 playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The starting lineup for the team consisted of Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, and future head coach Jason Kidd.

Future Mavericks star Kyrie Irving hadn’t yet gone pro, though he’d soon be named the first overall draft pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Luka Dončić was only 12 years old and still a year away from his first contract with Real Madrid.

In the 2011 NBA Finals, the Mavs faced the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. The Heat were the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and had home-court advantage over the Mavs.

But Dallas prevailed, winning the series in six games and claiming their first NBA title.

Thirteen years later, the landscape in Dallas – and in the NBA – has changed considerably. Today, the city is helmed by Republican Mayor Eric Johnson, and the median home price in DFW has ballooned to $395,000.

The biggest evolution for the Mavericks was Dončić’s arrival in 2018 and Nowitzki’s retirement in 2019, which signaled the dawn of a new era of Dallas basketball.

Former standout point guard Jason Kidd was named the Mavericks’ head coach in 2021. He could join an elite group of champions as both a player and coach if Dallas triumphs once again.

Another familiar face on the sidelines is Mark Cuban, who recently sold his majority stake in the team but still maintains a role in the organization.

This year:

• The Mavericks are the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, with a projected starting lineup of Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington, and Daniel Gafford.
• The Boston Celtics are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and are led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Just like in 2011, Dallas does not have home court advantage in the finals and will have to play the majority of the series on the road, including the opening games on June 6 and June 9.

If history repeats itself, the Dallas Mavericks will once again find themselves the underdog champions of the NBA.