A Taste Of Sweet Revenge

With his win Sunday in Miami, Nowitzki has

cemented his legacy as one of the best

all-time.

It's time to celebrate in South Beach, but not the party many anticipated. The Dallas Mavericks capped off their magical postseason run by defeating the Miami Heat in six games to capture their first NBA title in franchise history. In one of the greatest NBA Finals in recent memory they're so many story lines, but none bigger than Dallas exercising their 2006 NBA Finals demons and silencing their critics once and for all.

    Once labeled soft, Dirk Nowitzki has solidified his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history with one of the most remarkable postseason runs the game has ever seen. The seven-foot German finishes the postseason averaging 27.7 points per game with 8.1 rebounds, but his ability to get to the free throw line was a key component not just in the Finals, but throughout Dallas's postseason run to a title.

    He set an NBA record for free throws made in a single postseason game without a miss in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder after going 24 of 24 from the line.

    Nowitzki attempted 186 free throws in the Mavericks twenty-one games this postseason knocking down 175 for them at 94 percent. He becomes just the eleventh player in NBA history to have a least 10 All-Star selections, a regular season Most Valuable Player award and be named the NBA Finals MVP.

    Even though Nowitzki was only one of four players in NBA history heading into this years postseason to average 25 points per game and 10 rebounds in his postseason career, many believed he was not mentality tough enough to perform when it mattered most. You can put all those doubters to bed.

    In the last fifteen postseasons only two players had averaged 10 points or more in the fourth-quarter of the NBA Finals. Those two players include the recently retired Shaquille O'Neal, who is arguably the most dominating presence the NBA has ever seen, for the Los Angeles Lakers and the greatest player of all-time Michael Jordan for the Chicago Bulls.

    Now you may add a third player to that list with Nowitzki averaging 10.3 points in the fourth quarter of this years NBA Finals cementing his legacy as one of the clutchest players in postseason history. It was not easy for the longtime Mav, struggling from the field in the first half scoring only 3 points on 1 of 12 shooting.

    The second half would be his stage yet again scoring 10 of his 18 second half points in the final period ensuring himself his first NBA championship while fulfilling a childhood dream. Nowitzki had a total of 62 fourth-quarter points in the series, that's as many as Miami's LeBron James and Dwayne Wade scored combined.

    Thanks in large part to his hard work, dedication to the game and longtime German coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner, he has finally reached the mountain top with his resume now complete.

    Yes, there is no question that Nowitzki was the MVP of this Mavericks team, but this was in fact a team and without the help of his supporting cast, the calm of demeanor of his veteran point guard Jason Kidd and the brilliance of head coach Rick Carlisle this fairy tale ending would have never become reality.

The 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks are the optimity
of a team.

Jason Terry, who was the only other remaining member of that '06 Finals team, called out James prior to Game 4 and delievered. "JET" as they call him scored 19 first half points and was the main reason why Dallas held a 2-point lead at the break even with their superstar struggling.

    Point guard J. J. Barea became the spark that ignited this team when he torched the two-time defending champion Lakers in their second-round series. After shooting only 5 of 23 in the first three games against the Heat, Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup and Dallas never looked back winning the next three games of the series.

    The oldest point guard to ever start a NBA Finals game, Kidd is a seventeen-year veteran, who had squandered both his opportunities to win a championship during his time in New Jersey. This time it would all be different.

    Kidd was the orchestrator to Dallas's late fourth-quarter comebacks. His sense of calmness, defense and ability to stay emotionless when the game had taken a turn for the worst enabled the Mavericks to comeback time after time. Now at 38, Kidd becomes the second oldest player only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to play and win in the NBA Finals.

    The leadership and determination of forward Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler add to the list of players that contributed to this Dallas win as a unit.

    As for Carlisle, his coaching was the X-factor in this series and if they could give the MVP to a non-player, he would have earned it. It continues to be the little things that win basketball games and that is exactly what Carlisle did. His attention to detail and call of the right number at the right time is something that can't be taught.

    Inserting Barea into the starting lineup, playing a zone defense most of the series, and not allowing James and Wade to play to their strengths by getting to the basket and draw fouls, but rather have them beat Dallas with jumpers were all key decisions made by the former Celtic, putting together one of the greatest coaching clinics we have seen in years.

    How can we forget the benching of sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic in favor of the custodian Brian Cardinal, whose contributions to the series will not show up in the box score, but will be forever remembered by Mavericks fans across the nation.

    Carlisle is now 11-3 in potential closeout games of a series which is the best mark all-time.

James walks away yet again on the losing
end of a NBA Finals.

For the Heat, it is a bitter end to season that overall was a success. Just a year into three superstar players coming together they exceeded many people's expectations besides their own. After taking a 2-1 series lead, the Heat just fell out of sync and never found their rhythm again.

    They finish the postseason 9-2 at home, but they started the series 8-0. After winning Game 1 in their home building they lost what would be their final two games at the AmericanAirlines Arena on the year. Those included blowing a 15-point lead in the fourth-quarter in Game 2 and of course the closeout game of this series.

    They had never lost back-to-back games this postseason until they decided it was time to lose three in a row following their Game 3 win in Dallas. It didn't help that after James averaged 26.7 points per game in the regular season only averaged 17.8 in the Finals. That 8.9 point differential is the largest in NBA history.

    It was just not Miami's time as they were beaten clearly by a better team, but they will be back. Whether or not they win is a whole different issue.

    Miami showed signs of their immaturity in this series and that was never more apparent than when James and Wade were caught of camera prior to shoot around mocking Nowitzki and his illness in Game 4. The jokes on them with the Mavs superstar getting the last laugh.

    It was a team of destined as the "Comeback Kids" did not have a single champion on this squad, but now go home as champions together. Their sometimes outspoken owner Mark Cuban kept his mouth shut throughout and showed his class by relinquishing the Larry O' Brien Trophy to the Mavericks original founder and owner Donald Carter.

    America can finally breathe their sigh of relief after David slaved Goliath and this time Goliath was a three-headed monster.

We Meet Again

Nowitzki, left and Wade, right have already
 met once in the '06 NBA Finals.

We've seen this before. It has been five seasons since the Miami Heat won their first NBA title in franchise history, beating the Dallas Mavericks in six games. With Miami's thrilling come from behind win Thursday night in Chicago they have punched their ticket to the NBA Finals, setting up a much anticipated Finals rematch with Dirk Nowitzki's Mavericks. A lots changed since then along with their individual roads back to the NBA's biggest stage.

    Only two players remain on each team's roster that played in the '06 Finals. Nowitzki and guard Jason Terry off the bench both were on the losing end that year. All-Star Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem are the only remaining members on the Heat roster that hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy under then legendary head coach Pat Riley's watch.

    For Dallas it has been a long journey back to the top of the Western Conference. A year after losing in the Finals and blowing a 2-0 series lead, Nowitzki lead the Mavs to the best record throughout the NBA at 67-15. Dallas was the favorite to win the NBA title as Nowitzki won the Most Valuable Player Award that season for the first time in his career, ending former teammate Steve Nash's two-year reign of the award. He is the only European to win the award in its fifty-six year existence.

    There would only be disappointment to come, as Dallas became the first number one seed to be ousted from the postseason by a number eight seed. Don Nelson's Golden State Warriors made history by disposing of his former team in six games. After ten straight losing seasons in Dallas at the turn of the century a self-made billionaire by the name of Mark Cuban bought the franchise for a $285 million and changed the course of their future.

   Since Cuban's purchase of the team, the Mavericks have had eleven straight seasons of 50 wins of more, making the postseason every year. Now they find themselves only four wins away from their first NBA title and determined not to have it slip away once again.

    Over the years Dallas along with their superstar from Germany have been labeled as soft and not built to win a championship. This Mavericks squad has grown a different identity, using terms like gritty and resilient to describe them, words you wouldn't have even thought to say about a Mavs team, even a year ago.

    Their 2011 postseason run has been a true testament to that as Dallas blew a 23-point second half lead in a first-round game against the Portland Trail Blazers and went on to lose. A Maverick team of old would have crumbled and lost the series. Instead they reeled off seven straight postseason wins including a sweep of the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the second-round.

    The streak ended with their first home playoff loss on the year at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the loss Dallas won three straight games, including a 15-point comeback in Game 4 of the series with just under five minutes left to play in regulation, advancing to their second NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.

    Along with Nowitzki, it looks to be the final shot for future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd to win an NBA title. At 38, he will be making his third NBA Finals appearance and become the oldest players to start a Finals game.

Kidd, left and Nowitzki, right have put
together one last hurrah.

As for the most hated team in sports, the Miami Heat went into the season fully expecting to be in this exact spot, with the four hardest wins of the year still in front of them. The story has been well told as three superstar free agents were brought together by Riley to form a Super Team in South Beach. Heavily criticized more than any other sports team in recent memory, Miami had an eventful first season together.

    Before the coming together of this current group Wade first had to endure a fifteen win season along with three straight first-round exits before his second NBA Finals appearance.

    Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh knew joining forces would have its consequences, but hoped the reward would out weigh the risks. So far that seems to be the case. The Heat started off rather slowly still developing their team chemistry. Early injuries to Haslem and sharp shooter Mike Miller did not help, but it was just another speed bump in their long road back to the Finals.

    At one point during the season the Heat found their stride winning twenty-one of twenty-two games, becoming one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. Shortly there after the Heat would lose six of their last seven, with reports of players crying in the locker room afterward wondering if they made the right decision.

    Miami righted the ship winning eight of their final ten regular season games, including a 100-77 beating of the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Heat finished with the third best record in the NBA, capturing the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

    After playing three five game series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Celtics, and Chicago Bulls, Miami finds themselves back in the NBA Finals for the first since '06.

James still thinks about his
'07 Finals loss.

Oddly enough the only other time James appeared in the Finals, it was against another Texas team, as the San Antonio Spurs swept his Cleveland Cavaliers for their fourth NBA title under Greg Popovich.

It should be an exciting series with both teams playing so well and featuring some of the greatest players in NBA history but only one can be crowned champion. Will Miami finish the mission they set out on almost eight months ago? Or will James take another bullet from another Texas team with Nowitzki bringing home his first NBA championship?

    It all starts Tuesday night in South Beach.

One Last Hurrah

Could Nowitzki become just another
Charles Barkley?

The Dallas Mavericks are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2006, and are looking to take full advantage of this rare opportunity. For many of the current Maverick players it is their final shot to be crowned an NBA champion. Only two members remain from that '06 Dallas team that fell short in the NBA Finals after winning the first two games of the series, only to drop the next four to the Miami Heat. Dirk Nowitzki is on a mission to not let history repeat itself.

    Nowitzki came out of the gate quickly in Game 1, scoring 48 points on twelve of fifteen shooting. The seven-footer did most of his damage at the free throw, heading to the charity strike thirteen times. There Nowitzki set a NBA record for most free throws made consecutively without a miss, going twenty-four of twenty-four from the line.

    The German had a tough act to follow after his Game 1 performance, but did his best scoring a game high 29 points, although it wasn't enough as Oklahoma City tied the series at a game apiece, handing Dallas their first home playoff loss of the season. Nowitzki is a future Hall of Famer and cemented himself as the greatest Maverick in history, but is still in search of his first NBA title that has eluded himself for far too long.

    Nowitzki knows this could be this final shot and has taken matters into his own hands.

    The same could be said for point guard Jason Kidd. Like Nowitzki, Kidd is also a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, but is still chasing his first ring. Kidd came close during his stint in New Jersey, reaching the NBA Finals back-to-back years in '02 and '03, but lost both times with the Nets.

    Kidd, 38, now in his 17th NBA season, finds himself as one of the five oldest active players in the NBA today. Originally drafted by the Mavs with the second overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, Kidd is trying to bring home Dallas's first NBA title in franchise history and have everything come full circle.

    Veterans Jason Terry and Peja Stojakvic have also made their presence felt off the bench with their ability to stretch the floor. Terry has been with Dallas since the start of the '04-'05 season and the only other remaining member of that '06 NBA Finals team. Dallas has made ten straight playoff appearances and Terry has been there for six of them.

Kidd is trying to end where it all
began.

Along with Terry's postseason pedigree comes Stojakvic's resume. At the turn of the century Stojakvic was a member of those great Sacramento King teams coach by Rick Adelman that nearly went to multiple NBA Finals. The Serbia native also played for the Indiana Pacers and Chris Paul's New Orleans Hornets, making the postseason three times combined between those two teams. In total Stojakvic has made the postseason eleven times in his twelve-year career.

    The story is much of the same for their head coach Rick Carlisle. Even though Carlisle won an NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics during his playing days, he also lost twice to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. Carlisle has never made an NBA Finals appearance as a head coach, but is widely considered one of the best in his profession, even without the hardware.

   If Dallas comes up short yet again, they can add their names to an already laundry list of legendary players and coaches who never had the privilege of being called a champion, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Don Nelson to name a few.

     A lot rides on this postseason for Dallas, as they know they might never be back. Legacies will be cemented or dipleted this year in the great state of Texas.