Best NBA Turnarounds in NBA History as Mavericks Woes Continue

Best NBA Turnarounds in NBA History as Mavericks Woes Continue

There is something almost operatic about the Dallas Mavericks’ descent in the opening salvos of the 2025-26 NBA season—an ensemble once built for contention now finds itself stumbling under the harsh lights of reality. The would-be crescendo has instead become a cacophony of injuries, turnovers, and managerial upheaval. Wednesday night’s 123-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns—all signs pointed to hope when Dallas carved out a 17-9 lead, only for the floor to fall away after P.J. Washington’s injury—wasn’t just another tick against the win column. It was a statement on the current state of Mavericks basketball: their third straight defeat, a punishing 3-10 record, the Western Conference standings a scarlet letter of futility.

Mavericks Slump Goes On

The numbers paint the story with unsparing precision. Twenty-one turnovers. Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively, and Kyrie Irving are all sidelined, reducing the roster to a patchwork of youth and exhausted veterans. The roars of “Fire Nico!” echoing through American Airlines Center, fueled by months of disappointment, have finally culminated with GM Harrison's dismissal, one that perhaps should have come when he inexplicably traded his superstar, talisman, and face of the franchise, Luka Doncic, to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Rookie sensation Cooper Flagg remains a glimmer of hope. His box score from the Suns game crackles with promise: 16 points, 6 boards, 6 dimes, 3 steals, 2 blocks. Statistics that hint at stardom. More importantly, the number one overall pick plays as though he’s unaware of the pressure, willing an exhausted roster to compete when the scoreboard says all hope is gone. He is both symbol and spark—proof that hope, however dim, is not dead.

But one thing that does say that the Lone Star State outfit's hopes are dead in the water, however, is the online betting sites. The latest basketball betting at Bovada odds currently price the Mavs as a whopping +360 outsider to qualify for the playoffs this season, a scarcely believable figure from just 12 months ago. So, where does Dallas go from here? NBA history tells us the answer: sometimes, from the darkest nadir rises something unforgettable. Sometimes, against the march of numbers and reason, teams find their soul. 

1977-78 Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics’ season began in a tailspin: 5-17, morale in tatters, and whispers of irrelevance gathering at the Center Coliseum. Something had to change, and the franchise knew it. But rather than making a calculated executive hire, the Sonics rolled the dice—firing Bob Hopkins and handing the reins to Lenny Wilkens, not only a revered former player but a leader unafraid to rip up the script.

The move was audacious, dangerous, even. But it immediately paid dividends. Seattle, once soft on D and lacking tempo, suddenly found their defensive backbone and took flight. Gus Williams orchestrated the break, Jack Sikma owned the paint, and Fred Brown drilled big shots. The 5-17 abyss gave way to a roaring 42-18 surge—the second half played at a championship level.

Their subsequent playoff run would go on to become the stuff of lore: the Lakers, Blazers, and Nuggets one by one fallen, the NBA Finals going seven games before the Sonics finally bowed to the Washington Bullets. Ultimately, their turnaround was crowned with the franchise’s first and only title the next season. Leadership. Boldness. The courage to start anew mid-fall—Seattle’s 1978 reimagining is still whispered about as one of the NBA’s greatest reinventions, and something that Dallas should currently be looking toward as their current campaign continues to go up in smoke.

2021-22 Boston Celtics

Boston in January 2022 was adrift—mediocre at 18-21, critics circling the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown duo with suspicion. Enter Ime Udoka, who drew on the Celtics’ defensive DNA like a maestro. He overhauled the X’s and O’s, implementing switch- heavy schemes and unleashing Robert Williams III as the anchor. Results? Instant, electric.

The Beantown outfit thundered to a 33-10 finish, securing the two-seed. Their post- turnaround defensive stat: a stingy 101.5 points allowed per 100 possessions, best in the league by miles. In the playoffs, there was no fluke—Kevin Durant and the Nets were swept, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks and Jimmy Butler’s Heat conquered in epic seven-game duels. Even holding a 2-1 Finals lead over the Warriors—before fatigue and inexperience finally showed—this Celtics team proved that basketball cultures forged in adversity can become juggernauts overnight.

2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers

If chaos had a face, it would be the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers in January. The Kyrie trade had gone sour, Isaiah Thomas limped to nowhere, and the roster was an awkward
mélange of expiring names and faded glory. Sitting 19-20, the team was at war with itself.

Then came the shock therapy: GM Koby Altman gutted the team at the deadline, shipping out half the rotation and welcoming George Hill, Rodney Hood, Clarkson, and Nance Jr. With nothing left to lose, Cleveland surged 31-12 down the stretch. And then LeBron James elevated himself yet again—averaging a triple-double in the playoffs, sweeping Toronto, surviving Indiana and Boston, dragging these new-look Cavs to a fourth straight Finals against all statistical logic.

Golden State swept them to close the book, but what the Cavs achieved was extraordinary: a team reborn in the final act of the season, led by a superstar who refused to accept the inevitable.