For the first time in their 31-year history the Dallas Mavericks have won the NBA Championship. Led by German superstar Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks are one of three teams in NBA history to have at least 11 consecutive 50-win seasons.
“There performance over the last 11 years has consistently been playoff-caliber with Mark Cuban’s unorthodox ownership approach; they’re surely in at the top of the crop of NBA teams this decade,” said former Bryant student Miguel Dominguez.
Initially built up by head coach Don Nelson, who currently holds the NBA record for most NBA wins, the Mavericks advanced to their second-ever Western Conference Finals, the first being in 1988. Nelson would then groom Avery Johnson as his immediate successor.
Under Avery Johnson the Mavericks made their first NBA Finals appearance in 2006, even taking a 2-0 series lead. Yet, they would lose the next four games to the Miami Heat and relinquish their chance at a championship.
The next season the Mavericks racked up their highest regular season win total, with a record of 67-15. However, the Mavericks were shocked by the Golden State Warriors in the first round, losing in six games.
In 2008 the Mavericks hired the defensive-minded Rick Carlisle to subsist at the helm of their bench. It was from here Dallas would be revitalized with a new philosophy and a drastic roster turnover. This is highlighted by the fact that the championship team of this season contained only two players, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, from the Mavericks team that made the NBA Finals in 2006.
Up 3-2 heading into game 6, Dallas maintained their focus and held the momentum that propelled them to victory in the previous two games. Despite having a roster of nine players with at least 10 years of experience in the league, the Mavericks played with passion, abandon and energy.
Dirk Nowitzki shot only 9-27 from the floor, but remained able to score 21 points and grab a game-high 11 rebounds. Jason Terry scored a game-high 27 points on 11-16 field goal shooting in 34 minutes of play off the bench.
“Game 6 for the Mavericks was all about the bench. Terry and Barea stepped up big time for them,” said Bryant senior Sharabh Shukla.
Conversely, the Miami Heat lacked any sense of urgency throughout the entire series. Repeatedly, head coach Eric Spoelstra stated in team huddles “it’s going to be a long 12 minutes.” Not exactly the most reassuring statement.
“The Heat are known for their defense, it wasn’t there. It wasn’t just one player struggling, it was the team that failed to play up to their potential,” said Shukla.
LeBron James continued his rough performance in the NBA Finals with a forgettable effort given in game 6. James has never scored 25 points in an NBA Finals game, and he only averaged a little over 2 points per game in the fourth quarter in this series.
“Individually LeBron was at his worst on defense, allowing Terry to score 27 points on a night that Nowitzki was struggling. Offensively, the missed free throws and six turnovers were during times of the game that hurt his team most,” said Shukla. “He simply didn’t show up.”
Dirk Nowitzki added an NBA Finals MVP award to the regular season MVP he won in 2007. In all 11 50-win seasons Dirk Nowitzki has led the Mavericks in points per game. “He is the best player in the game, in terms of scoring, right now. His performance, from the beginning of the playoffs, was that of a winner,” stated Shukla.
Lightning may have struck for the Mavericks, as their chances at another NBA Championship appear to be dim. Shukla agrees, “Because of their age and the new teams coming up in the West, as well as in the East, it is very hard to see the Mavericks winning back-to-back championships.” Now the question for the Mavericks is: can lightning strike twice?