Dusty May looks to transform a struggling roster by instilling the relentless force and veteran grit that propelled New York to the top of the league.
DALLAS - If you want to be the best, you might as well copy from the best, right?
That seems to be the idea behind new Dallas Mavs coach Dusty May mindset regarding the physicality he wants his team to play with in 2026-27 - and he's emulating the New York Knicks in his approach.
“I don’t think you can be a championship-caliber program organization if you don’t play with the level of physicality and force that the game requires,” May said in a visit with 105.3 The Fan. “I mean, when you look at the Knicks last year, their veteran leadership and the physical maturity that they have in their locker room, and you know, you’re not going to win a championship unless you have it.
"And so we’re starting from Day 1, stressing that level of intensity and physicality that the game requires to play at a championship level.”
"Starting over'' in a lot of ways seems like a wise move, given that Dallas finished 26-56 last season, the franchise’s worst record since 2017-18.
Outside of Cooper Flagg winning NBA Rookie of the Year, the Mavericks were poor in every department. They ranked 27th in offense, for instance ...
And maybe they were right down there in "physicality'' as well.
May coached Michigan to a 34-3 record and the 2026 national championship. He went 64-13 in two seasons in Ann Arbor with two Big Ten titles.
And yes, those Wolverines teams played with muscle.
At the same time, even with all of those wins, May pushed his college guys in a way that made "winning a certain way'' a priority.
May said there was a period during last season when Michigan was winning comfortably ... and yet he sort of treated the wins as if they weren't good enough.
“I know there was a period last season where we weren’t playing well and we were still winning comfortably,'' he said. "And I was (in conflict) with the staff because I was very disappointed.
"I was almost treating them as losses.”
Chances are, his first year here in Dallas won't require him to psychologically trick it up to "invest losses''; those are likely to happen plenty of times all on their own.
Still, May has his way.
“I don’t think I can ever be the type of coach where if we’re not playing anywhere near our potential, we’re not playing with the passion and energy that it’s required, I’m not going to feel good about the win because we have more talent than the other team,'' he said. "We have to make sure that we capitalize on all of our talent and abilities.”
