DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said Thursday that the approach that carried Michigan through injuries to a national championship is what he has been preaching in Dallas since the summer began.
May spoke in studio at 105.3 The Fan on “K&C Masterpiece,” on the day the Mavericks named the station their flagship radio home under an agreement with Audacy.
Michigan lost guard L.J. Cason to a torn ACL during the season. Forward Yaxel Lendeborg sprained his left MCL and his left ankle in the Final Four against Arizona on April 4, stepping on the foot of Arizona center Motiejus Krivas. Lendeborg played 14 minutes in that game and returned two nights later in the title game.
Michigan beat UConn 69-63 on April 6 for its first championship since 1989.
May said the daily preparation is what made the replacements ready.
“That was the coolest part of our team,” May said. “We lose a borderline all-conference guard in L.J. Cason, and then Yaxel, a first-team All-American, potential player of the year, goes down early in the Final Four, and at that point you think maybe it’s just not our time, right?”
“And to see the rest of our team step up and have a next man approach, I just give our guys a lot of credit because the way we practiced and prepared every single day allowed all of those other guys to be ready for the moment,” May continued. “And that’s what we’re preaching now in the summertime with the Mavs. If we compete at the right level every single day with the right intentionality, then our roster will all be better for it. And they’ll all be prepared for when their moment does come.”
Dusty May On Michigan’s February Loss To Duke
Michigan went 34-3. One of those losses came against Duke on Feb. 21, a 68-63 result in which Cameron Boozer scored 18 points.
May said the Duke game forced a reset that held for the rest of the season.
“That game, both Morez and Aday were in early foul trouble,” May explained. “We were leading the game. We felt like we were playing well and then ended up having to play the majority of the minutes with our second unit. But that loss did allow us to recenter ourselves and get back, and we played really well immediately following that game.”
“And I don’t think if we don’t play that in the middle of the season and we don’t face Duke, I’m not sure that we could have continued to play the way we played throughout the season,” May added. “So that was a real positive.”
Dusty May Went 64-13 In Two Seasons At Michigan
May was 64-13 at Michigan with two Big Ten titles. Michigan opened the 2026 NCAA Tournament by becoming the first team to score at least 90 points in five consecutive tournament games.
Before Michigan, May led Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four, a run that ended with a 72-71 loss to San Diego State.
The Mavericks hired May on June 23, three months after the title game and hours before the NBA draft. Dallas used the No. 9 pick that night on Morez Johnson Jr., who played for May at Michigan. Michigan named Mike Boynton Jr. its interim head coach.
Dallas opens the preseason Oct. 9 against the Houston Rockets in Macao. The regular season begins Oct. 21 at Houston at 7:30 p.m. CT.
