NBA
OTD in 2011: Dallas Mavericks Beat the Big 3 Miami Heat for Their 1st Championship
June 12, 2011: Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks shocked the world beating the Big Three Miami Heat in the NBA Finals
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After losing in the Finals to the Dwyane Wade/Shaquille O’Neal-led Miami Heat in ’06, followed by a disheartening first-round exit against the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors in his MVP season, it seemed as though Dirk Nowitzki’s championship window was closing. Even after reaching the 2011 Finals, his odds seemed slim against the Miami Heat Big 3 of Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James. Counted out, Dirk and the Mavericks showed no fear and demonstrated to the entire league that no team was invincible, no matter what big-name players they had on their roster.
DALLAS MAVERICKS DEFEATED THE HEAVILY FAVORED MIAMI HEAT BIG 3 IN THE NBA FINALS
The season prior to their second Finals run franchise history, the two-seeded Mavericks flamed out in the first round against the seven-seeded San Antonio Spurs, another disappointing end to an otherwise impressive season. They retained most of their roster over the summer but made a key acquisition of defensive juggernaut Tyson Chandler.
Dallas entered the 2011 postseason as the three seed. They made quick work of the Portland Trailblazers in round one, swept the reigning champ Lakers in round two, then dispatched of the Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden Thunder to earn their shot at the finals. Miami was heavily favored to beat the three-seeded Mavs after impressive wins against the Celtics and top-seeded Chicago Bulls.
No team in the NBA could match them talent-wise, yet Dallas went tik-for-tak with them trading wins over the first four games, then won Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. The previous Finals played out a similar way with the Lakers going down 3-2 before coming back to win in seven. Miami was expected to do the same as it was unimaginable that their Big Three could lose, yet that is just what happened. Dallas went into South Beach and came out victorious, shocking the world and winning their first championship in franchise history and it’s remembered as one of the most respected championship wins ever by a superstar (Dirk).
June 12, 2011: Dallas #Mavericks defeated the heavily favored, Big 3-led Miami Heat in Game 6 to secure the franchise’s very 1st NBA Championship
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) June 12, 2021
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