2002–03 Dallas Mavericks season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Mavericks' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Mavericks signed free agent Walt Williams. 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. They later finished with a 60–22 record and lost the tiebreaker 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.
The Mavericks defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in a tough seven game first round. Although they lost Game 1 at home against the Sacramento Kings in the next round, they came back to win Game 2, where Kings captain Chris Webber suffered a season-ending injury. It would be the Nick Van Exel show as he scored 36 points to tie the series 1–1. In Game 3 at the ARCO Arena, Van Exel scored a career and playoff-high 40 points to help the Mavericks take the series 2–1. Dallas defeated the Kings in seven games, to advance to the Conference Finals where they met their in-state rival, the San Antonio Spurs. 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 the Finals. Following the season, Van Exel was traded to the Golden State Warriors, Raef LaFrentz was traded to the Boston Celtics and Williams retired.
Offseason
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 2 | 54 | Mladen Šekularac | SF |
Roster
Note
Bold = All-Star selectionRegular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Playoffs
West First Round
Dallas Mavericks vs. Portland Trail BlazersLast Playoff Meeting: 1990 Western Conference First Round
West Conference Semifinals
Sacramento Kings vs. Dallas MavericksLast Playoff Meeting: 2002 Western Conference Semifinals
West Conference Finals
San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas MavericksLast Playoff Meeting: 2001 Western Conference Semifinals
Player statistics
Season
Playoffs
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
| 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. |