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Dallas Mavericks
Overall: 24
Title track: 22
Ownership: 34
Coaching: 16
Players: 42
Fan relations: 24
Affordability: 32
Stadium experience: 22
Bang for the buck: 44
Change from last year: -2
The Mavericks haven't managed to get out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs since they won the 2011 NBA title, but Mark Cuban's franchise continues to fare well in these standings. Only the Spurs, Cavaliers and Grizzlies rank higher among NBA teams.
What's good
Coach Rick Carlisle remains the Mavs' best asset, according to fans (he's ranked 16th overall and fourth in the NBA), and for good reason. Carlisle has only one NBA Coach of the Year honor -- from his first season as a head coach, in 2001-02 with the Detroit Pistons -- but he's earned the right to be considered at the top of the tier below Pop among the league's coaches. The Mavs are 661-471 in eight seasons under Carlisle, whose brilliance during the 2011 title run deserves to be mentioned in conversations about the best postseason coaching performances in recent memory. Don't believe us? Ask LeBron James.
What's bad
Not much. The Mavs got above average marks in every category. They ranked lowest in bang for the buck, at 44th, and that might bother Cuban, who takes great pride in not raising the prices of the cheapest seats at the American Airlines Center. He relates to those fans because he fell in love with the NBA while sitting in the nosebleed sections of old Reunion Arena -- back when he had a loud voice but not billions of dollars. Another source of pride for the Dallas owner: The Mavs' new, state-of-the-art practice facility, which opens this fall, was built without a penny of public financing.
What's new
The Mavs didn't move drastically in either direction in any category, demonstrating the consistency that this franchise is known for. The biggest changes: dropping 10 spots from 22 to 32 in affordability (though ticket prices are actually $6 below the league average) and moving up seven spots from 49 to 42 in players. Mavs fans can thank Kevin Durant, whose decision to go to Golden State led directly to Harrison Barnes' and Andrew Bogut's coming to Dallas, for saving the Mavs from a miserable summer after they again missed out on their initial top targets in free agency.
Next: Oklahoma City Thunder | Full rankings