versus the Mavericks in the regular season. On the year, the Mavericks went 67–12 against the rest of the league and 0–3 against Golden State, giving credibility to Russell's belief that the Warriors' win should not have surprised NBA fans. Ironically, the Warriors were coached by Don Nelson, the immediate past manager/coach of the Mavericks until he stepped down at the end of 2005–06, and he had been appointed head coach of the Warriors in the 2006–07 midseason Nowitzki's winning of regular season MVP honors and his team's stunning first-round exit created an awkward dilemma regarding the MVP trophy ceremony. Traditionally, the MVP award is given to the winner in a ceremony between the first and second round of the playoffs. But it has been believed that the league opted to put some distance between the MVP presentation and the Mavericks' elimination against the Warriors. By the time Nowitzki collected his MVP award, nearly two weeks had elapsed since the Mavs were ousted in the playoffs. 2007–08 The Mavericks dealt Devin Harris, two first-round picks and others in a blockbuster trade to the New Jersey Nets for veteran all-star Jason Kidd and other role players, Cuban also tried to sign the free agent Kevin Garnett unsuccessfully. The Mavericks were 3–11 against winning teams since the trade and lost Nowitzki for a little over a week due to a high ankle sprain injury. He returned April 2 in a crucial game against the Golden State Warriors in a 111–86 Mavericks victory and helped defeat the Phoenix Suns in a 105–98 win on April 6. This win in Phoenix was especially significant because the Mavs had been nearly unable to defeat a contending team on the road the entire season. Continuing their playoff push, Dirk hit a crucial three-pointer with 0.9 seconds left, defeating the Utah Jazz 97–94 on April 10. This victory guaranteed them a playoff spot and their eighth consecutive 50-win season. The Mavericks ended the season with a record of 51–31. In the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks were eliminated once again, by the New Orleans Hornets 4–1 on the road, 99–94. Just one day after a disappointing season ended, Avery Johnson was dismissed as Head Coach of the Dallas Mavericks. On May 9, 2008, Rick Carlisle was hired as the head coach. 2008–09 After getting off to a rocky start at 2–7, the Mavericks eventually found