THE DALLAS MAVERICKS FIND REDEMPTION IN NBA FINALS WIN

The Dallas Mavericks celebrate Sunday after winning their first-ever NBA title.

A decade of frustration—GONE.

The Dallas Mavericks finally celebrated their first title in team history when beat the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, 4-2.

For NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Dirk Nowitzki, he was the consistent factor for the Mavericks throughout the 2000s.

He helped Dallas achieve its greatest success since the mid-to-late 1980s, but the team was criticized for being soft and lacking on the defensive end.

The Mavericks endured their best seasons in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, but ended the seasons in heartbreaking fashion.

They lost the in the 2006 Finals to the Heat after holding a 2-0 lead and were upset by the Golden State Warriors in the 2007 Western Conference Quarterfinals after having the best record and Nowitzki winning the MVP with good players like Jason Terry helping him.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle joined the team in 2008, but felt the pain that Nowitzki and Terry went through before this point.

“Dirk and Jet (Jason Terry) have had to live with those demons for five years,” Carlisle said. “And as of tonight, those demons are officially destroyed.”

All because of those past failures like these, few expected Dallas to get to this point. Some even tabbed the Mavericks as the upset pick in their first round matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.

“The whole world was telling us we were the one and done boys,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. “That we were going to get knocked out in the first round. This team had so much heart, so much determination and so much fortitude that you know what, I love every one of them.”

With that drive, Dallas battled throughout the playoffs.

The team shook off an embarrassing 23-point collapse in Game 4 of the Portland series to win in six games. They then swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the West Semifinals and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West Finals in five games to return to the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks gained respect, but Miami would be the favorite heading in to the Finals.

The Heat took care of Dallas in Game 1 with a 92-84 win and were seven minutes from holding a 2-0 lead until Dallas stormed back from 15 down to tie up the series as the Finals shifted to Dallas.

Miami took Game 3, but Carlisle made adjustments such as starting JJ Barea and putting Brian Cardinal and Ian Mahinmi in the rotation. Those moves and Nowitzki having help in scoring allowed the Mavericks to win three straight to take the Finals.

The win finally gave players like Nowitzki and Terry the redemption and the ring they have longed for. Along with that, so are the nightmares of years past.

2011 NBA FINALS

Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks

ANALYSIS: This is what Miami fans have dreamed about all season—the Heat having a chance to compete on the NBA’s grandest stage. The Heat have come a long way from their 9-8 start to the 2010-11 season to represent the Eastern Conference for the second time in team history. Miami is playing great basketball in the NBA Playoffs, winning each of their three series in five games.

It has been five frustrating years, but the Dallas Mavericks return to the NBA Finals facing an all too familiar franchise. However, this Dallas team is older, wiser, and hungrier to erase the nightmares of postseasons past. Since giving up a 23-point lead to the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Mavericks are 10-1 and have showed a resiliency to overcome collapses.
SEASON SERIES: Mavericks won 2-0 (Dallas’ wins bookended a Miami 12-game winning streak)
KEY MATCHUP: LeBron James vs. Dirk Nowitzki (Both players have improved in the clutch and will be counted on to close out games during this series. Do not be surprised if any game comes down to the last shot.)

POSITION SHOWDOWNS

PG: Mike Bibby vs. Jason Kidd
ADVANTAGE: Jason Kidd
-At 38, Jason Kidd continues to impress everyone with his point guard play. He may not be a top-five caliber point guard anymore, but the wily veteran still has a few tricks up his sleeves. Kidd averaged 9.6 points and 8.6 assists in the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City, while playing good defense and adding a few key steals. Bibby will split point guard duties with Mario Chalmers, but Kidd clearly has the edge in this battle.

SG: Dwyane Wade vs. DeShawn Stevenson
ADVANTAGE: Dwyane Wade
-Dwyane Wade struggled a bit in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, but he will enjoy the fact that he is in the NBA Finals for the second time. After a stretch of eight straight games with at least 20 points, Wade only averaged 18.8 points per game against Chicago. Expect Wade to bounce back as DeShawn Stevenson will be no match for him.

SF: LeBron James vs. Shawn Marion
ADVANTAGE: LeBron James
-Shawn Marion is definitely turning back clock with his play in the playoffs this year. In Game 5 against Oklahoma City, Marion scored 26 points and added eight rebounds to help clinch the series. That performance came two days after his clutch steals helped Dallas come back from 15 points down to take Game 4 in overtime. He will provide good defense against LeBron James, but James has the matchup here. James is coming through in key moments for the Heat, hitting tough shots down the stretch and providing great all-around play. He has seven double-doubles in the playoffs this year and provided great defense.

PF: Chris Bosh vs. Dirk Nowitzki
ADVANTAGE: Dirk Nowitzki
-Chris Bosh had a good series against Chicago, but Dirk Nowitzki continues to have a phenomenal postseason. In Game 1 against the Thunder, Nowitzki turned in one of the greatest performances in NBA history by scoring 48 points, making all 24 of his free throws, and not attempting one 3-pointer. Throughout the playoffs, he is showing why he is an offensive force by making tough shots and shooting above everyone. Although, Bosh may lose this matchup, he is not a pushover and can definitely hold his own. He averaged 23.2 points and 7.6 rebounds in the Eastern Conference Finals and blocked four shots in Game 5. However, he may have his toughest test in guarding Nowitzki.

C: Joel Anthony vs. Tyson Chandler
ADVANTAGE: Tyson Chandler
-Of a shaky center situation, Joel Anthony proved that he is Miami’s best option. Anthony blocked 15 shots in the Eastern Conference Finals and has 31 rejections in the playoffs. With that said, he will be up against a greater challenge in Tyson Chandler. Chandler continues to provide a good presence in the post for Dallas with his scoring and rebounding. Against the Thunder, Chandler averaged 8.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while grabbing key offensive rebounds. If he can take advantage against Miami’s big men, watch out.

BENCH: Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks
ADVANTAGE: Dallas Mavericks
-Mario Chalmers continues to lead Miami’s second unit, but now he has help thanks to the reemergence of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Miller had a horrific start to the playoffs, but he found his touch in Games 4 and 5 against Chicago—shooting over 40 percent in both games. Haslem missed most of the season, but scoring 13 points and his toughness in Game 2 against Chicago cemented his place in the rotation. However, the Heat do not have a solid backup center to counter Brendan Haywood, who can take advantage of Miami’s front line just as well as Chandler. If Miami’s bigs tire because of this, expect JJ Barea to go at them with a full head of steam and possibly leave Jason Terry and Peja Stojakovic open for shots.

PIVOTAL GAME: Game 5 (This series could be tied at 2-2 here and the winner of this game will have the best chance to win.)
PREDICTION: Mavericks in 6 (It will be a joy to see three of the best players in the NBA—James, Nowitzki, and Wade—battle it out in the NBA Finals. Miami may have a terrific trio that has been dominant in this year’s playoffs, but this veteran Dallas team is playing with a purpose to win and rewrite its history. Miami will give everything they have, but Dallas will prevail in the end.)

MAVERICKS HAPPY, NOT SATISFIED ON LONG ROAD BACK TO FINALS

Five long years later, the Dallas Mavericks are headed back to the NBA Finals.

The Mavericks’ 100-96 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday allowed them to be glad of winning the Western Conference Finals for the second time in team history. However, the team is not satisfied and knows the ultimate goal is just four wins away.

“There’s all the guys in this organization and on the court who believed in us and in coach [Rick Carlisle] and fought every game, every minute of the way,” Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban said. “And all I can tell everybody is, we ain’t done yet!”

Cuban has been in this situation before.

Five years ago, he owned the 2006 Dallas team that lost in that year’s NBA Finals to the Miami Heat.

The Mavericks were just six minutes away from a 3-0 lead until Dallas blew a 13-point lead to lose Game 3. They never recovered from this loss and ultimately lost the series 4-2.

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry played key roles on that team and unfortunately endured a lot of heartbreak in the years to come.

A 67-win Dallas team the following season was upset by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Mavericks would only win only one postseason series before this postseason and it added to the notion that Nowitzki and the Mavericks could not win when it mattered most.

This year’s team has many other veterans that share the same heartbreaks.

Peja Stojakovic played a big role for the 2001-02 Sacramento Kings that had the best record in the NBA, but lost in Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

Jason Kidd guided the New Jersey Nets to two straight NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, but the Nets fell to the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs in consecutive years.

Shawn Marion was closest to a title for three consecutive seasons with the Phoenix Suns from 2005 to 2007, but their fast paced offense never led to any postseason success as they failed to reach the Finals.

Carlisle even experienced heartbreak as a coach during stints with the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. He guided Detroit to two straight 50-win seasons and a trip to the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, but he was fired in favor for Larry Brown. Hired by Indiana, he nearly got revenge over the Pistons in 2004 and 2005, but the Pacers lost both years.

The Mavericks have nine players in their postseason roster that are 30 or older, and they all know that they may never get this opportunity ever again.

As a collective whole, Dallas knows that the only way to ease the pain and rewrite the past is to win now before it is too late.