The Mavericks' playoff run, regardless of how far it goes, is a clear success that has Mark Cuban excited about the progress of the franchise, the owner said before Game 5 on Tuesday.

Cuban also said that everybody in the organization, himself included, has learned more about the components of the team because of the way it has matured during the postseason. He added that tackling the NBA ladder a rung at a time requires patience.

"When we were 40-42, we were excited to have such a good regular season, and that was progress," he said. "When we made the playoffs, we were excited because that was a sign of great progress. Now, we're showing that this team can be a serious threat in the playoffs and a contender to go further. That's exciting because it says we're making great progress toward being a legitimate contender."