June 12- The Dallas Mavericks win the 2011 NBA Championship
2011- On this day in Sports History, the Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Championship over the heavily favored Miami Heat. This was the Mavericks first and only NBA Championship in franchise history. Miami was the favorite to win the title as it was the first year that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up to form the “Big 3”. Instead, the Mavericks won Game 6, 105-95 to defeat Miami and win the title. Jason Terry had a great game off the bench as he scored 27 points to lead the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Kidd had 9 points and 8 assists. LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade had 21, 19, and 17 points, respectively, for Miami in the Game 6 loss.
Dallas entered the playoffs as the third seed and played the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. After winning the series 4-2, they went on to sweep Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Mavericks then went on to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
The 2011 NBA Finals was a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals and only the second time that either team made it to the Finals. Miami won that series in six games over the Mavericks. The Heat were looking to win it again, except this time with their new “Big 3”. They won Game 1 and Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Miami was in control and many people thought for sure they’d win it now. However, the Mavericks would rally and win the next three games to win the series and the NBA Championship.
Dirk Nowitzki was the 2011 NBA Finals MVP. He averaged 26 points and 9 rebounds throughout the series. Nowitzki, who is from Germany, became only the second European player to win the Finals MVP award. The other was Tony Parker of France. Both Nowitzki and Jason Kidd had long, excellent NBA careers that just lacked an NBA title, until they achieved it on this day in 2011. It remains as the
Dallas Mavericks only NBA Championship
in franchise history.
Be sure to subscribe to receive a story in your email each morning!
Also be sure to look at our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Check out more awesome previous stories at https://www.sportsaday.com/blog1
Sources:
“2011 NBA Western Conference Finals - Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Dallas Mavericks.” Basketball Reference