DALLAS — The plaza outside the American Airlines Center, which was the scene of a coffin and countless anti-Mavericks signs two months ago in the immediate aftermath of the Luka Dončić trade, was surprisingly tame in the lead-up to Donćić’s first game back in Dallas. There was one moment, about 30 minutes prior to tipoff, in which a group of fans started a loud “Fire Nico!” chant but that was the extent of anybody getting worked up outside of the building.
There was one gentleman who was holding court and drawing the frustration of Mavs fans because he took a hard pro-Nico Harrison stance. He was the only one spotted that was outwardly in support of the Luka Dončić trade. Some fans sported shirts that were anti-Nico Harrison and anti-Mavs ownership, and the clown noses were being distributed, but the overall feel was very similar to a typical Mavericks road game.
The only irregular thing was the amount of media members that were roaming the plaza, looking for riled up fans.