John MacLeod, the second coach in Mavericks history and the first to lead the franchise to a conference finals playoff appearance, died on Sunday after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

He was 81.

MacLeod succeeded original Mavericks’ coach Dick Motta in 1987-88 and led the team to Game 7 of the Western Conference finals in his first season. The Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, who would go on to win the NBA title.

“John MacLeod was a great coach and a man of integrity,” Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle said Monday. “He successfully guided the Mavs’ building efforts of the ‘80s that culminated in a trip to the 1988 conference finals.

“Mavs nation has lost a trusted friend.”

MacLeod coached in the NBA for 18 seasons, 14 of them with the Phoenix Suns. He also had coaching stints in college at Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

MacLeod had a 96-79 record in two-plus seasons with the Mavericks. His career mark as an NBA head coach was 707-657. He reached the NBA championship series in 1975-76 with the Suns, losing to Boston in six games.

His Mavericks’ team in ’88 won 53 games and was led by Mark Aguirre, Derek Harper, Rolando Blackman, Sam Perkins and Roy Tarpley. That team changed dramatically the following season and went just 38-44 and missed the playoffs.

Original Maverick Brad Davis was also on that ’88 team, averaging 7.2 points and 4 assists, mostly coming off the bench.

“John was one of the nicest men I had come across in the NBA,” Davis said. “Besides being an outstanding coach, he cared about his players and wanted what was best for them. We will truly miss a fine man.”

MacLeod was fired by the Mavericks early in the 1989-90 season and was hired in 1991 by Notre Dame, where he spent eight seasons.

The Mavericks issued a statement about MacLeod and the impact he had on the organization:

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of former Mavericks head coach John MacLeod. MacLeod led the team during some of best Mavericks moments including its first-ever seven game series and its first-ever Conference Finals in 1988. We send our deepest condolences to his wife Carol, daughter Kathleen and son Matt. He will be missed by the entire Mavericks organization.”

Twitter: @Esefko

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