2018 was a bad, bad year for the Mavericks, but rookie Dennis Smith Jr.'s high-flying heroics won't be easily forgotten. On April 3 at home against the Portland Trail Blazers, Smith found himself in the open court following a turnover. With his last dribble, the point guard slammed the ball into the floor, bouncing it to rim level, where he caught it and slammed it home. Smith's dunk was of the type usually reserved for the slam dunk contest, but he executed it easily during an otherwise mundane regular-season game.

The Dallas Morning News is no longer the city's best sports page. The subscription-only, online-only The Athletic made its Dallas debut during Super Bowl week, publishing the smartest sports writing in Dallas on a daily basis. Bob Sturm and his venerable Cowboys analysis set up shop, as did Rangers blogging dean Jamey Newberg and NBA savant Tim Cato. While it's yet to be seen whether The Athletic's financial model will hold up long-term, the company has used its resources wisely so far. It's an essential subscription for local sports fans.

This summer, the United States' joint bid with Canada and Mexico won official FIFA approval, guaranteeing that the three countries will host the 2026 World Cup. The United States will host the lion's share of the big games in the tournament, including all games from the quarterfinals onward. Gleaming palace that it is, Arlington's AT&T Stadium will likely get to host at least a couple of the 60 tournament games expected to be played in the United States. With Jerryworld missing out again on a second Super Bowl or Final Four in recent bidding, it's nice to have something to look forward to, at least.

Whether Luka Doncic ends up being, as some scouts have optimistically suggested, a 6-foot-8 Steve Nash or just another lottery flameout, the Mavericks did the right thing when they acquired him on draft night. The front office viewed Doncic potentially as the best player in a deep draft, one who could combine with Dennis Smith Jr. to make the team a contender again. That's still a couple of years off, but the Slovenian's silky offensive game should at least make the Mavs more attractive on TV in the meantime.

After being drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, Boise State linebacker and Idaho native Leighton Vander Esch fielded an inevitable question about Tex-Mex at his introductory press conference. The small-town kid was unfamiliar, apparently. "Text messages?" he responded, before saying that he wasn't familiar with Texas' major contribution to U.S. cuisine. While the Dallas Observer is sure Vander Esch has been acclimated, we'd be happy to take him to Avila's if he wants to come by the office.

Spieth, Dallas' world champion golfer next door, entered the final round at The Masters in April nine shots behind leader Patrick Reed. It was a seemingly insurmountable deficit until, all of a sudden, it wasn't. Spieth, the 2015 Masters champ, scorched a path through Augusta National's hallowed grounds, playing his first 17 holes in 9 under par. As things turned out, Spieth needed a birdie at 18 to force Reed into a playoff. Instead, Spieth clipped a tree with his tee shot and made bogey, finishing two shots back after a 64. While Spieth didn't quite get there, it was a valiant effort, one that reminded you, with sports especially, that anything is possible.

Dallas' Winter Olympic history is next to non-existent, but it got a little bump this year. Mesquite native Onwumere starred on Nigeria's first-ever women's bobsled team. She and her teammates, who Onwumere met at the University of Houston, didn't come close to a medal, but they had a blast in South Korea, becoming social media darlings in the process.

Maybe the most unexpected part of the Cowboys' star turn on Amazon's All or Nothing documentary series was head coach Jason Garrett looking like an actual human being. Garrett, star of the most rote press conferences known to man, swears like a sailor and appears to actually care about the team he can't seem to lead past the first round of the playoffs. Garrett is still a point of frustration for many fans, but he became a little more likable this year.

For years, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has lamented his team's lack of a war daddy, his term for a dominating, pass-rushing defensive end. Last year, DeMarcus Lawrence developed into exactly the type of player Jones sought, putting up 14.5 sacks in a Pro Bowl campaign. If Lawrence can do it again in 2018, it will be good for him and the Cowboys. For the team, continued dominance by Lawrence should mean a return trip to the playoffs. For Lawrence, another outstanding season should get him the long-term contract he missed out on when the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on him after the 2017 campaign.

Following University of Maryland Baltimore County's historic upset of the University of Virginia in the first round of March's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament — UMBC became the first-ever 16th seed to beat a No. 1 seed — Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis fired off the perfect tweet. In one sentence, he highlighted UMBC's location, obscurity and the fourth season of The Wire. "Bro UVA lost to the kids from the wire," he tweeted, and it was perfect.