The Dallas Mavericks have lost a legend in their franchise history. Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, has died at the age of 86. Nelson's family announced his passing in a statement.
"On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family," Nelson's family said in a statement, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein. "Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories."
Nelson was a five-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics and was an elite bench scorer under legendary head coach Red Auerbach. His jersey is retired by the Celtics, but Mavericks fans remember him for developing one of the best offenses in the early 2000s and building a system that made the Mavericks contenders for years.
Don Nelson helped develop the Mavs' own big three
Nelson was hired as the head coach of the Mavs in 1997, but didn't begin developing a big three until the 1998 NBA Draft. He made perhaps one of the biggest draft steals in history, trading Pat Garrity and Robert Traylor for Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. Michael Finley was already on the team, and thus, a Big Three was formed.
The early 2000s were a fun team. They were full of run-and-gun action with tremendous offensive weapons everywhere and got major interior defensive help in 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley. The closest the team got in Nelson's tenure was the Western Conference Finals in 2003 against the San Antonio Spurs, when Nowitzki went down with an injury during the series.
He helped bring an All-Star group together to compete for championships nearly every season, but ultimately fell short of the goal. He was on the bandwagon to keep Nash, but the offer from the Phoenix Suns was too good to pass up, and Nelson ultimately stepped down as head coach in the spring of 2005.
He would later coach the Golden State Warriors, a team he had already coached in the 80s and 90s. He coached against his old team in the 2007 playoffs as the No. 8 seed. The Mavs were the No. 1 seed after their loss in the NBA Finals.
Only two other No. 8 seeds beat a No. 1 seed before that, and Nelson's believers got the job done in six games to upset the Mavericks. Baron Davis and Monta Ellis were in charge of putting the Mavs to bed, but had one of the best coaches in NBA history coaching them up.
Nelson's last push was for the team to draft Stephen Curry, so Golden State fans, you know who to thank for that. He retired in 2010 after a near 50-year stint in the NBA.
Fans today need to know that the Mavs don't jumpstart their success without Nelson. He's a huge reason the brand is what it is today.
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