[1] During the offseason, the Mavericks acquired Jason Terry from the Atlanta Hawks, and Jerry Stackhouse along with rookie Devin Harris from the Washington Wizards.
The Mavericks got off to a fast start winning seven of their first eight games, holding a 35–16 record before the All-Star break.
Under Johnson, the Mavericks won their final nine games of the season, finishing second in the Southwest Division with a 58–24 record, good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
The semi-finals against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns pitted Nowitzki against former teammate Steve Nash, who was named league MVP following the season.
[2] Following the season, Michael Finley signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs and Shawn Bradley retired.