10 Business Lessons from NBA Champs Dallas Mavericks

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 at 4:41 PM | Category: Business, Life Tips, Meryl's Notes Blog 3 comments

The Mavericks make me extra proud to be a Texan. Not because they won, but how they won. Last time the Mavericks made it to the finals was in 2006 against Miami Heat — the same team they beat to win this year’s finals. It’d be easy for the Mavs to taunt them and play up on the revenge angle. They didn’t. I grew up playing and watching sports. It turned me into a competitive and driven gal. It also showed me how easy it was to get angry and want revenge on the opponent.

mavs man 10 Business Lessons from NBA Champs Dallas Mavericks

Mavs Man at Kids' Elementary School

Miami players LeBron James and Dwayne Wade mocking Dirk’s illness. Actions like that can easily rile up the opposing team, but Dirk and Mavs remained cool.

Mark Cuban. You know the guy is brash and always in your face. Throughout the finals, he stood in the background and shone the spotlight on the Mavs instead of himself. This is the guy you least expected to let Mavs founder and original owner receive the championship trophy, but he did. Cuban stood by while Donald Carter accepted the trophy. He also cut back on blogging and tweeting during the finals.

Here are the 10 business lessons from the Dallas Mavericks:

  1. Let actions do the talking. The Mavs didn’t mock or smack talk. Rather than talk up a big game, do your best work and let it speak for you. If you make a mistake, correct it and apologize instead of making excuses.
  2. Operate as a team. Yes, Dirk is the star of the team, but he had off days especially when he had a fever. The Mavericks already knew how to play like a team, so it came easy for them to carry Dirk’s load.
  3. Work hard. Dirk stood out because he worked hard and practiced for hours. When the team used to practice in a public fitness center while American Airlines Center was under construction, Dirk would stay after practice was over and keep shooting baskets until a member asked him to leave. [Source: The Dallas Morning News letter]
  4. Share credit. Mark Cuban let Donald Carter hold the trophy first.
  5. Show restraint. When the game ended, I wasn’t sure it was over as the Mavericks walked around or exited the court. They didn’t celebrate by jumping around and rubbing it in. Even fans showed restraint in not destroying city property while celebrating.
  6. Trust your team. Coach Rick Carlisle found a balance in coaching an experienced team by trusting the players. He also gave ownership to the players such as letting veteran player Jason Kid run the offense.
  7. Shut out the noise. Ignore what’s irrelevant. Focus on what needs to be done.
  8. Speak up. Coach Rick Carlisle spoke up twice when Mark Cuban was having one of his “moments” during a game. Cuban did.
  9. Keep fighting. The Mavs made big comebacks in a few playoff games. The Lakers had a 15-point lead and the Mavs came back to win. The Mavs did it again in Game 2 in Miami.
  10. Adapt as needed. Carlisle benched players even though they were instrumental in previous games.

What other lessons did you pick up from the NBA finals? What are some examples of these business lessons in action? What’s your most memorable business lesson?

dp seal trans 16x16 10 Business Lessons from NBA Champs Dallas MavericksCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans Tags: ,

Subscribe to this here blog: RSS or E-mail

3 comments

  • Posted by Millicent Clark on June 14th, 2011, 6:06 PM

    I was most impressed by their teamwork and their drive and desire to win. They played like adults, not children, even when they were most challenged.

  • Posted by Meryl on June 14th, 2011, 6:14 PM

    You said it right, Millicent! Sportsmanship at its finest.

    Anyone reading the comments — Millicent and I played volleyball in high school together! :)

  • Posted by Meryl on June 15th, 2011, 8:10 AM

    Of course, the Mavs aren’t perfect. Dirk displayed poor sportsmanship in the 2006 playoffs against the Heat by kicking a basketball. They didn’t lose as gracefully as they could have.

    Jason Terry had the championship trophy tattooed on his arm. Some may see that has talking smack… or is that stamping smack?

Post a comment (or leave a trackback)

RSS Subscribe to be notified when new comments are added.

Get Updates