# 2002–03 Dallas Mavericks season

The 2002–03 NBA season was the Mavericks' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Mavericks signed free agents Walt Williams, and Raja Bell. The Mavericks started the season strong by winning their first fourteen games of the season, which was one win shy of tying the NBA record set by the 1948–49 Washington Capitols and the 1993–94 Houston Rockets (15–0). They later held a 38–10 record at the All-Star break, and finished with a 60–22 record and lost the tie-breaker with the Spurs for the Midwest Division title.
Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash were both selected to play in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. It was the second straight All-Star appearance for both players. Nowitzki averaged 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team, while Nash averaged 17.7 points and 7.3 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team. In addition, Michael Finley provided the team with 19.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while sixth man Nick Van Exel contributed 12.5 points and 4.3 assists per game off the bench, and Raef LaFrentz provided with 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Nowitzki finished in seventh place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Van Exel finished in fourth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
The Mavericks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in a tough seven game Western Conference First Round series. Although they lost Game 1 at home against the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Semi-finals, 124–113, they came back to win Game 2, where Kings captain Chris Webber suffered a season-ending knee injury. It would be the "Nick Van Exel Show" as he scored 36 points to tie the series 1–1, with a 132–110 win. In Game 3 at the ARCO Arena, Van Exel scored a career and playoff-high of 40 points to help the Mavericks take the series 2–1, with a 141-137 double-overtime win. Dallas defeated the Kings in seven games to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1988, where they met their in-state rival, the San Antonio Spurs. However, after losing Nowitzki to a knee injury in Game 3, the Mavericks would go on to lose the series in six games. San Antonio won its second NBA Championship defeating the New Jersey Nets in six games in the Finals.
Following the season, Van Exel was traded to the Golden State Warriors, while LaFrentz was traded to the Boston Celtics, Adrian Griffin signed as a free agent with the Houston Rockets, Bell signed with the Utah Jazz, and Williams retired.

## Offseason
### Draft picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 54 | Mladen Šekularac | SF | Montenegro | |

## Roster
### Roster Notes

* Center Shawn Bradley also holds American citizenship, but he played for the German national team and was born in Germany.

## Regular season
### Season standings

| Midwest Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-San Antonio Spurs | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 33–8 | 27–14 | 17–7 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – | 33–8 | 27–14 | 18–6 |
| x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9 | 33–8 | 18–23 | 15–9 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 13 | 29–12 | 18–23 | 15–9 |
| Houston Rockets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 | 28–13 | 15–26 | 11–13 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 28 | 54 | .341 | 32 | 20–21 | 8–33 | 5–17 |
| Denver Nuggets | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43 | 13–28 | 4–37 | 3–21 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-San Antonio Spurs | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 2 | y-Sacramento Kings | 59 | 23 | .720 | 1 |
| 3 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 60 | 22 | .732 | – |
| 4 | x-Minnesota Timberwolves | 51 | 31 | .622 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| 6 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 50 | 32 | .610 | 10 |
| 7 | x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 13 |
| 8 | x-Phoenix Suns | 44 | 38 | .537 | 16 |
| 9 | Houston Rockets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 17 |
| 10 | Seattle SuperSonics | 40 | 42 | .488 | 20 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 38 | 44 | .463 | 22 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 28 | 54 | .341 | 32 |
| 13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 27 | 55 | .329 | 33 |
| 14 | Denver Nuggets | 17 | 65 | .207 | 43 |
    z – clinched division title
    y – clinched division title
    x – clinched playoff spot

### Record vs. opponents

2002-03 NBA Records :
| Team | ATL | BOS | CHI | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GSW | HOU | IND | LAC | LAL | MEM | MIA | MIL | MIN | NJN | NOH | NYK | ORL | PHI | PHO | POR | SAC | SAS | SEA | TOR | UTA | WAS |
| Atlanta | – | 0–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Boston | 3–0 | – | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Chicago | 2–2 | 2–2 | – | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Cleveland | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 |
| Dallas | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | – | 4–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Denver | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | – | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 |
| Detroit | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 |
| Golden State | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 1–1 | – | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Houston | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Indiana | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| L.A. Clippers | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | – | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| L.A. Lakers | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | – | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Memphis | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–4 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Miami | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 |
| Milwaukee | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | – | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Minnesota | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 |
| New Jersey | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | – | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| New Orleans | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | – | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| New York | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | – | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Orlando | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | – | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Philadelphia | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | – | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 |
| Phoenix | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | – | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Portland | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | – | 1–3 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Sacramento | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | – | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| San Antonio | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | – | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Seattle | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | – | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Toronto | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 3–1 |
| Utah | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–4 | 2–2 | 2–0 | – | 1–1 |
| Washington | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — |

### Game log

2002–03 game log Total: 60–22 (home: 33–8; road: 27–14) :
October: 1–0 (home: 0–0; road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
October 30
@ Memphis
W 119–108
Steve Nash (24)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash (13)
Pyramid Arena 16,638
1–0 :
November
: 14–1 (home: 8–0; road: 6–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
2
November 2
Phoenix
W 97–83
Dirk Nowitzki (22)
Shawn Bradley (8)
Steve Nash (8)
American Airlines Center 19,783
2–0
3
November 4
Golden State
W 107–100
Steve Nash (30)
Dirk Nowitzki (13)
Steve Nash (5)
American Airlines Center 19,368
3–0
4
November 6
@ Toronto
W 106–92
Dirk Nowitzki (28)
Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Bradley (13)
Steve Nash (6)
Air Canada Centre 19,800
4–0
5
November 8
@ Chicago
W 114–87
Dirk Nowitzki (24)
Shawn Bradley, Walt Williams (11)
Steve Nash (6)
United Center 21,028
5–0
6
November 9
Detroit
W 114–75
Michael Finley (25)
Dirk Nowitzki (8)
Steve Nash (10)
American Airlines Center 19,644
6–0
7
November 11
Portland
W 82–73
Dirk Nowitzki (26)
Shawn Bradley (18)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 19,548
7–0
8
November 13
@ Cleveland
W 103–99
Michael Finley (26)
Dirk Nowitzki (12)
Steve Nash (7)
Gund Arena 12,764
8–0
9
November 15
@ Boston
W 97–86
Dirk Nowitzki (32)
Dirk Nowitzki (9)
Steve Nash (9)
FleetCenter 18,624
9–0
10
November 16
@ New Jersey
W 96–88
Steve Nash (30)
Michael Finley (13)
Steve Nash (9)
Continental Airlines Arena 16,634
10–0
11
November 19
L. A. Lakers
W 98–72
Steve Nash (21)
Dirk Nowitzki (17)
Steve Nash (6)
American Airlines Center 20,096
11–0
12
November 21
Houston
W 103–90
Michael Finley (28)
Eduardo Nájera (11)
Steve Nash (8)
American Airlines Center 19,853
12–0
13
November 23
Seattle
W 115–103
Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki (29)
Michael Finley (11)
Steve Nash (8)
American Airlines Center 20,011
13–0
14
November 27
@ Detroit
W 102–82
Michael Finley (42)
Dirk Nowitzki (15)
Steve Nash (7)
The Palace of Auburn Hills 22,076
14–0
15
November 28
@ Indiana
L 98–110
Steve Nash (29)
Dirk Nowitzki (8)
Steve Nash (9)
Conseco Fieldhouse 17,948
14–1
16
November 30
Chicago
W 103–90
Steve Nash (18)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash, Nick Van Exel (7)
American Airlines Center 19,940
15–1 :
December
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
17
December 2
Toronto
W 113–102
Steve Nash (25)
Shawn Bradley (8)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 19,696
16–1
18
December 4
@ Portland
W 103–88
Dirk Nowitzki (26)
Dirk Nowitzki (15)
Nick Van Exel (7)
Rose Garden Arena 18,452
17–1
19
December 6
@ L. A. Lakers
L 103–105
Nick Van Exel (25)
Dirk Nowitzki (12)
Steve Nash (7)
Staples Center 18,997
17–2
20
December 7
@ Golden State
W 121–116
Dirk Nowitzki (35)
Shawn Bradley (11)
Nick Van Exel (5)
The Arena in Oakland 16,355
18–2
21
December 10
L. A. Clippers
W 122–95
Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel (24)
Shawn Bradley (11)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 19,715
19–2
22
December 11
@ San Antonio
L 104–111
Michael Finley (36)
Michael Finley, Walt Williams (8)
Steve Nash (10)
SBC Center 17,632
19–3 :
January
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord :
February
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord :
March
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord :
April
: 0–0 (home: 0–0; road: 0–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord :
2002–03 schedule :

## Playoffs

2003 playoff game log :
First round: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
April 19
Portland
W 96–86
Dirk Nowitzki (46)
Dirk Nowitzki (10)
Steve Nash (9)
American Airlines Center 20,336
1–0
2
April 23
Portland
W 103–99
Steve Nash (28)
Dirk Nowitzki (9)
Steve Nash (8)
American Airlines Center 20,356
2–0
3
April 25
@ Portland
W 115–103
Dirk Nowitzki (42)
Dirk Nowitzki (10)
Steve Nash (10)
Rose Garden Arena 19,980
3–0
4
April 27
@ Portland
L 79–98
Dirk Nowitzki (26)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Nick Van Exel (7)
Rose Garden Arena 19,980
3–1
5
April 30
Portland
L 99–103
Dirk Nowitzki (35)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash (11)
American Airlines Center 20,438
3–2
6
May 2
@ Portland
L 103–125
Steve Nash (21)
Adrian Griffin (8)
Steve Nash (6)
Rose Garden Arena 20,602
3–3
7
May 4
Portland
W 107–95
Dirk Nowitzki (31)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 20,281
4–3 :
Conference Semi-finals: 4–3 (home: 3–1; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 6
Sacramento
L 113–124
three players tied (20)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 20,525
0–1
2
May 8
Sacramento
W 132–110
Nick Van Exel (36)
Dirk Nowitzki (12)
Steve Nash (7)
American Airlines Center 20,491
1–1
3
May 10
@ Sacramento
W 141–137 (2OT)
Nick Van Exel (40)
Dirk Nowitzki (20)
Steve Nash (11)
ARCO Arena 17,317
2–1
4
May 11
@ Sacramento
L 83–99
Bell, Finley (16)
Dirk Nowitzki (11)
Steve Nash (6)
ARCO Arena 17,317
2–2
5
May 13
Sacramento
W 112–93
Steve Nash (25)
Dirk Nowitzki (15)
Dirk Nowitzki (9)
American Airlines Center 20,556
3–2
6
May 15
@ Sacramento
L 109–115
Nick Van Exel (35)
Dirk Nowitzki (12)
Finley, Nash (4)
ARCO Arena 17,317
3–3
7
May 17
Sacramento
W 112–99
Dirk Nowitzki (30)
Dirk Nowitzki (19)
Steve Nash (13)
American Airlines Center 20,595
4–3 :
Conference finals: 2–4 (home: 0–3; road: 2–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 19
@ San Antonio
W 113–110
Dirk Nowitzki (38)
Dirk Nowitzki (15)
Steve Nash (3)
SBC Center 18,797
1–0
2
May 21
@ San Antonio
L 106–119
Michael Finley (29)
Finley, Nowitzki (10)
Steve Nash (8)
SBC Center 18,797
1–1
3
May 23
San Antonio
L 83–96
Nick Van Exel (16)
Dirk Nowitzki (9)
Steve Nash (9)
American Airlines Center 20,695
1–2
4
May 25
San Antonio
L 95–102
Finley, Nash (25)
Van Exel, Williams (8)
Van Exel, Williams (3)
American Airlines Center 20,561
1–3
5
May 27
@ San Antonio
W 103–91
Michael Finley (31)
three players tied (8)
Steve Nash (6)
SBC Center 18,797
2–3
6
May 29
San Antonio
L 78–90
Nick Van Exel (19)
Raef LaFrentz (12)
Steve Nash (11)
American Airlines Center 20,812
2–4 :
2003 schedule :

## Player statistics
### Ragular season

| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Steve Nash | PG | 82 | 82 | 2,711 | 234 | 598 | 85 | 6 | 1,455 | 33.1 | 2.9 | 7.3 | 1.0 | .1 | 17.7 |
| Shawn Bradley | C | 81 | 39 | 1,731 | 476 | 54 | 65 | 170 | 543 | 21.4 | 5.9 | .7 | .8 | 2.1 | 6.7 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | PF | 80 | 80 | 3,117 | 791 | 239 | 111 | 82 | 2,011 | 39.0 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 25.1 |
| Raja Bell | SG | 75 | 32 | 1,173 | 145 | 57 | 52 | 8 | 230 | 15.6 | 1.9 | .8 | .7 | .1 | 3.1 |
| Adrian Griffin | SG | 74 | 48 | 1,373 | 264 | 105 | 77 | 6 | 325 | 18.6 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .1 | 4.4 |
| Nick Van Exel | SG | 73 | 1 | 2,026 | 208 | 312 | 42 | 4 | 912 | 27.8 | 2.8 | 4.3 | .6 | .1 | 12.5 |
| Michael Finley | SF | 69 | 69 | 2,642 | 402 | 205 | 76 | 21 | 1,331 | 38.3 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | .3 | 19.3 |
| Raef LaFrentz | C | 69 | 43 | 1,611 | 330 | 54 | 35 | 91 | 639 | 23.3 | 4.8 | .8 | .5 | 1.3 | 9.3 |
| Walt Williams | SF | 66 | 1 | 1,161 | 207 | 59 | 42 | 26 | 363 | 17.6 | 3.1 | .9 | .6 | .4 | 5.5 |
| Eduardo Nájera | SF | 48 | 12 | 1,103 | 223 | 47 | 40 | 22 | 320 | 23.0 | 4.6 | 1.0 | .8 | .5 | 6.7 |
| Avery Johnson | PG | 48 | 0 | 430 | 31 | 64 | 15 | 1 | 156 | 9.0 | .6 | 1.3 | .3 | .0 | 3.3 |
| Popeye Jones | PF | 26 | 0 | 222 | 59 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 53 | 8.5 | 2.3 | .3 | .2 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Evan Eschmeyer | C | 17 | 3 | 135 | 29 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 7.9 | 1.7 | .4 | .6 | .4 | 1.0 |
| Tariq Abdul-Wahad | SG | 14 | 0 | 204 | 40 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 57 | 14.6 | 2.9 | 1.5 | .4 | .2 | 4.1 |
| Adam Harrington$^†$ | SG | 13 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2.8 | .2 | .2 | .1 | .1 | .8 |
| Antoine Rigaudeau | SG | 11 | 0 | 91 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 8.3 | .7 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Mark Strickland | SF | 4 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3.3 | 1.8 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
* $^†$ Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Mavericks only.

### Playoffs

| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Michael Finley | SF | 20 | 20 | 822 | 115 | 60 | 26 | 12 | 366 | 41.1 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 1.3 | .6 | 18.3 |
| Steve Nash | PG | 20 | 20 | 729 | 70 | 145 | 17 | 1 | 322 | 36.5 | 3.5 | 7.3 | .9 | .1 | 16.1 |
| Raef LaFrentz | C | 20 | 16 | 491 | 88 | 5 | 11 | 43 | 160 | 24.6 | 4.4 | .3 | .6 | 2.2 | 8.0 |
| Nick Van Exel | SG | 20 | 3 | 672 | 68 | 82 | 12 | 0 | 389 | 33.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | .6 | .0 | 19.5 |
| Eduardo Nájera | SF | 19 | 5 | 394 | 74 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 116 | 20.7 | 3.9 | .8 | .7 | .2 | 6.1 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | PF | 17 | 17 | 722 | 196 | 37 | 21 | 16 | 430 | 42.5 | 11.5 | 2.2 | 1.2 | .9 | 25.3 |
| Raja Bell | SG | 17 | 7 | 305 | 51 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 97 | 17.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | .3 | .0 | 5.7 |
| Shawn Bradley | C | 17 | 7 | 246 | 65 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 49 | 14.5 | 3.8 | .3 | .2 | .8 | 2.9 |
| Walt Williams | SF | 15 | 3 | 227 | 43 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 85 | 15.1 | 2.9 | 1.0 | .3 | .8 | 5.7 |
| Adrian Griffin | SG | 15 | 2 | 131 | 44 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 8.7 | 2.9 | .5 | .3 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Tariq Abdul-Wahad | SG | 8 | 0 | 79 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 9.9 | 2.8 | .9 | .0 | .0 | 3.1 |
| Evan Eschmeyer | C | 5 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6.4 | 1.0 | .4 | .6 | .2 | 1.2 |

## Awards and records

* Dirk Nowitzki, All-NBA Second Team
* Steve Nash, All-NBA Third Team
* Dirk Nowitzki, NBA All-Star Game
* Steve Nash, NBA All-Star Game

## Transactions
### Overview

| Players Added Via draft Via trade Via free agency Raja Bell Adam Harrington Popeye Jones Mark Strickland Walt Williams | Players Lost Via trade Via free agency Greg Buckner Danny Manning Johnny Newman Wang Zhizhi |
| Date | From | To | Transaction |
| 9/20/02 | WAS | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Popeye Jones as a free agent. |
| 10/1/02 | PHI | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Raja Bell as a free agent. |
| 10/10/02 | N/A | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Adam Harrington as a free agent. |
| 10/18/02 | HOU | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Walt Williams as a free agent. |
| 11/17/02 | ATL | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Mark Strickland as a free agent. |
| 1/17/03 | N/A | DAL | The Dallas Mavericks signed Antoine Rigaudeau as a free agent. |
Player Transactions Citation: