2011 NBA Finals: The Dallas Mavericks Are Champions

The Dallas Mavericks exercised the demons that had been hanging around since 2006. They did something most of the basketball world didn't think they could do.



Photo courtesy: Associated Press



They got past the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in sweeping fashion and they took down the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder to get one more shot at a team who had shocked them in the finals just five years ago.

When you're facing a team which boasts the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, there aren't a lot of people who will pick against them. Especially not in the NBA Finals.

But leave it to Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson, Jason Kidd, and others to come into this series with the biggest chip on their shoulder. No one outside of their own fans expected them to hang around. There were even some who expected a Miami Heat sweep.

The two teams would split the first four games, the margin of victory never getting more than eight points. But when Dallas pulled out a nine point win in game five at home in Dallas, there was a feeling around the metroplex that the momentum the Mavericks had would be too much for the Miami Heat to overcome.

It didn't matter the series was shifting back to South Beach and the American Airlines Center. It didn't matter LeBron James and Dwayne Wade were returning to their home court and their home fans to try and win back-to-back games to, once again, steal the series from the Mavericks.

 

The way this Dallas team was playing, the doubters were even beginning to change their minds.


Photo courtesy: Getty Images



Game six was unlike any game of the series so far. Dirk came out ice cold, hitting one of his first 12 shot attempts and sitting most of the first quarter with two quick fouls.

But even though their star couldn't hit the broad side of the barn, another Mavs star stepped up and made sure that on this night his team was not going to lose.

Coming off the bench, Terry would score a game high 27 points, hitting 11 of his 16 shot attempts including 3-of-7 from three point range. He couldn't have played a better game when his team needed him the most. Not only did he hit the game clinching three in game five at home, but he was lights out in game six and at times seemed like he wasn't going to miss all night long.

When the final buzzer sounded and the Mavericks were able to celebrate, Nowitzki disappeared into the locker room to steal a moment for himself. A player who had given it everything he had and had put this team on his back with some of the most gutsy performances in NBA Finals history, needed to regain his composure and let out the emotions that were a long time coming.

This was a team effort from start to finish. Dirk hit some big shots for the Mavericks but without big shots from Terry, Stevenson, and others, there would be no celebration for this team and for this town.

Even the morning after, the metroplex is still buzzing about the events of Sunday night. Is this real? Did this team really win an NBA Championship?


Photo courtesy: Getty Images



When the team returns home and lands at Dallas Love Field sometime around 11am on Monday morning, they will be carrying a brand new shiny trophy down the jetway.

At that moment, Maverick fans will know just how real this ride was.

Their baseball team, the Texas Rangers, came oh so close in 2010. This time they will be able to celebrate the first major championship since the Dallas Cowboys won their last Super Bowl back in 1995.

But for some, this title is the sweetest of them all.

The Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history. This is a title that will never be taken from this group of guys. This is a title these players and this town can be proud of.

This one was earned.

2011 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks Are One Game Away From an NBA Championship

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I never saw this coming. No really, I didn't.

From the moment the playoffs began I doubted what the Dallas Mavericks would be able to do. I didn't believe they could figure things out and change the course of history that this team had been on. Outside of their last NBA Finals appearance back in 2006, the Mavericks had been bounced out of the playoffs in either the first or second round.

So I figured this wasn't going to go any differently than it had before. I didn't think they had the team or the players to be able to get past the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and there was no way they would be able to get past the Miami Heat and their "Big Three."

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Low and behold they have proved me wrong at every turn. Not only did they get past the Lakers but they did so with a broom and more dominance than any Maverick team I've seen in a long time.

On Thursday night, they moved one step closer to really proving me wrong once and for all.

After a win in game five, they are just one win away from bringing home the first major championship for the Dallas and Fort Worth area since the Dallas Cowboys won their last Super Bowl back in 1995.

This is a ride a lot of Maverick fans are enjoying. The American Airlines Center has rocked over the last three games and the fans have been one of the biggest reasons their team is where they are. They're loud, they're proud, and they stay in the game from start to finish.

Make no mistake about it, Texas is and will always be a football state. But in each of the past two seasons, the Dallas and Fort Worth metroplex has been on a thrill ride.

The Texas Rangers did something no one could have predicted as they knocked off the defending World Series champion, New York Yankees, in the American League Championship Series but eventually fell to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series.

Almost seven months later, the Mavericks have taken the momentum left behind by the Rangers and have taken it upon themselves to do something only the Cowboys have been able to do.

The NBA Finals will shift back to Miami, Florida on Sunday with the Heat having to win each of the next two games in order to keep the Mavericks from celebrating a championship on their floor.

Sure there are bandwagon fans who have come out of the woodwork, but when those fans have been disappointed from one season to the next by a football team expected for greatness, you can't blame them for joining their fellow fans on this journey.

So, in just over 48 hours from now, the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat will take the floor in South Beach. One team will have visions of a championship while the other will need to fight just to keep themselves alive for one more game.

Is this series over? It depends on who you ask.

To the Maverick fans, they are celebrating in the season's final game in what was the biggest game in franchise history. They believe a championship is coming home.

Honestly...who can blame them.

Kobe Bryant vs LeBron James: The New Battle For the Ages

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The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat will meet on Christmas Day at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Not only will this be a battle between two of the best teams in the NBA but it will also be a battle between two of the best players in the league.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

Each of these players has left their mark and each has their own style in which they approach the game. They both can put up points and they can both put their entire team on their back when the situation calls for it. But only one thing sets these two players apart.

Championships.

Kobe Bryant is the only one of the two that knows what it takes to win it all and he's done so more than once. In fact, he's won five of them.

LeBron has yet to win his first. It's the whole reason why he "took his talents to South Beach" so he could join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in order to get that illusive title that he's been searching for since he came into the league.

James has had a taste of what it's like to be in the championship game with the Cavaliers but his lack of experience in big games showed that he wasn't ready to go to the next level.

Now that he's with Miami he doesn't have to worry about carrying the load. He doesn't have to worry about being the main guy. But it certainly won't stop him from trying.

Can we compare the match-up between these two superstars to other match-ups from years gone by? Is this another Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson? How about Magic and Isaiah Thomas? Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins?

There have been so many big time showdowns in the NBA over the years but I don't believe that you can compare any match-up in this era to any of the big names of yesteryear.

You can't and shouldn't compare Kobe Bryant or LeBron James to guys like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, or any other big name that made the NBA what it is today. You can't compare the games one a young player in today's game to a veteran player of yesterday's game.

The game is faster and selfish where 20 years ago the game was slow, methodical, and unselfish. The no look pass and the fast break were a thing of beauty where today it's the jump shot, the three-pointer, and the big dunks are what makes today's game exciting.

The Lakers and Heat are two teams that may give you a glimpse of what the NBA Finals may look like at the end of the season. And who would mind that kind of championship series?

So when you're watching the game today and you're either rooting for a specific team or just watching as a fan, remember what the game used to be like and the game a lot of us grew up watching and take notice of how much things have changed.

But not only that, watch these two players go about their game and see how they face challenges and big baskets when their team needs them. Watch how they carry their teams when they start to fall behind or watch how they continue to make the game look easy when they're way ahead.

James and Bryant are two phenomenal players to watch. They make today's game exciting and they make the fans stand to their feet and say "wow." That's why the match-up between these two teams on Christmas Day is going to be one to remember.

This is a perfect example of today's game and a showdown of a new era beginning in the NBA. Though this has been coming for quite some time, there hasn't been a match-up of players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in quite some time.

You can talk about names like Allen Iverson and Vince Carter all you want, but neither of those guys have the power to thrill a crowd quite like the two players you'll see face off this afternoon.

Love them or hate them, they are the NBA and two names that this league looks to to be what they have become.

This is the kind of game the NBA salivates over and what better day to bring this game to the fans than the one day family spends time together at someone's home with the television on.

They knew exactly what they were doing when they strategically put this game on the schedule.

LeBron James versus Kobe Bryant. A showdown for the ages.

The Dallas Mavericks Are Off to a Great Start, But I'm Not Buying It

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When I was growing up, I used to watch the Los Angeles Lakers with guys like Magic Johnson, A.C. Green, Byron Scott, James Worthy and Kareem Adbul-Jabbar.

Showtime as the fans at the Great Western Forum called it during those days.

One of the teams they always had a rivalry with during a few of those seasons were the Dallas Mavericks. That rivalry has hung on to some extent but it's not nearly as big as it used to be, other than the fact that no one in Dallas likes anything having to do with the Lakers or Los Angeles for that matter.

Living in Dallas, I get to hear a lot of about every sports team in the area from the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

However there are two teams you will hear more about in this area than any other sports teams regardless of what season it is. It's the Dallas Cowboys and the Mavericks. This town wasn't a baseball town until the Rangers went to the World Series in 2010, than every bandwagon jumper made sure they got on as if they had never left. As for hockey, it used to be big here but those days have long since passed.

The Cowboys will always be the top draw for no other reason than it's professional football regardless of the fact that they have one playoff win in 15, soon to be 16, seasons.

Than there's the Mavericks. They're a team that this town that has left this town somewhat confused because they're not exactly sure what to make of them. They haven't won an NBA title and they've only gotten close once (2006).

They've made it into the playoffs in each of the last nine seasons but two of the last three they haven't gotten out of the first round.

They are off to a great start this season and it has everyone in Dallas/Ft Worth buzzing. Could this be the Mavericks' year? Could this be the year they finally go all the way and bring back the NBA Championship?

While there are a few media guys who are buying up those possibilities, I see too much in their history that shows me otherwise.

Sure they've run off a 12-game win streak already this season and yes they've won 10 of their 11 games away from the American Airlines Center, but I'm still not sold that this team is really ready to do what they haven't been able to do through the team's history.

I'm also not sold that Dirk Nowitzki is the guy to lead them there. Yes, I said it. The same way I feel about Tony Romo not being the right guy at quarterback for the Cowboys, I don't believe Dirk Nowitzki is the right guy to lead the Mavericks somewhere they've never been.

I know the Maverick fans love him because he's the face of their franchise. There's no question that he has tremendous talent and I know that he's arguably the best player they've had on their roster for quite some time, or maybe ever.

Do you really want to blame the guys around him for this team's failure through the years? Is he really blameless for the first round exits and the disappointing NBA Finals loss to Miami in 2006?

Maybe. Maybe not.

We can go back in the past and argue year after year and point to all the things he's done for this team. We'll just have to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

As far as this year is concerned, I'm not ready to buy stock in the Dallas Mavericks. I'm not ready to jump on the bandwagon and ride it to what a lot of people believe is another NBA Finals appearance, maybe against Miami.

But what I see going back through their playoff appearances only shows me what they haven't been able to do. It only shows me that though they can flex their muscles during the regular season only to find out that those muscles aren't as big as they wanted others to believe.

The Dallas Mavericks since 1984:

• 1st round playoff losses (6)
• Conference Semi-final losses (6)
• Conference Final losses (3)
• NBA Finals losses (1)

The most telling season, at least over the last 10 years, was in 2006-07 one year after they had lost to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. They won 67 games during the regular season only to be ousted four games to two in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors.

So no matter how many games the Dallas Mavericks win during the regular season, it won't mean a thing if they can't keep the momentum going into the playoffs.

Anything but an NBA Championship would just be another disappointing season in a long line of disappointing seasons.

While it's too early for me to say that history will absolutely repeat itself, I don't see anything in this team that makes me believe it won't.

As they say, the proof is in the pudding and the proof has me keeping my money in my pocket instead of putting it down on this team.

Sorry Maverick fans, I'm just not buying what the team is selling.

Miami Heat, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and the Thurday Morning Sports Report

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Good morning sports fans, today is December 16th, 2010. If you're interested in what happened on this day in history, about the Boston Tea Party on December 16th, 1773.

There's your little nugget of knowledge dropped on you this morning. Now that that's out of the way, what say we get to sports?


Miami Heat:  Streak Now at 10

As much as I don't want to give them a lick of credit, it's hard not to when a team has ran off 10 straights wins as the Miami Heat have. I find it a tad ironic that the 10th straight win came last night against LeBron James' former team, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Being unbeaten against them has to feel pretty good to ole King James. Not sure why we're still calling him that but apparently he thinks it's fitting. Even without a championship ring.


Dallas Cowboys: Is Jason Garrett a Shoe-In as the Next Head Coach?

When Wade Phillips was fired by the Dallas Cowboys, though really he fired by Jerry Jones, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over the team and has won three of the five games since he took over. There's sentiments among Dallas media that Garrett is a shoe-in to be the next head coach of the team.

When he first took over, most people thought he was just a temporary fix until Jones could go after a guy like Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher. However, that sentiment has changed and mostly due to the fact that Jerry wants a "yes man" and not a coach that wants full control.

If the media is right and Garrett takes over, you can chalk it up as the worst decision Jerry has made since hiring Phillips.


New York Jets: They're All Laughing at You

Congratulations to the New York Jets for becoming the joke of the NFL and not because of their play on the field. After the tripping incident over the weekend, it was found out later that this same coach wanted players to make a virtual wall just in case they were to have a run in with an opposing player.

Before, everyone was praising the Jets for their performance on the HBO show "Hard Knocks." Now the only knocking going on is the shots the media has been taking at the team since the game on Sunday.

J-E-T-S now stands for Just Entertaining To Some


In closing...

• Oregon over Auburn in the national championship game. Cam Newton is good, but Oregon will have something to prove.
• Still don't like LeBron James. Not that it's all that surprising.
• My bowl picks will be up tomorrow for the games going on this weekend, so stay tuned for that.
• I'm still a proud hometown kid from Fresno. For that reason, I still read and give a ton of credit to guys like Daniel Lyght, Mike Oz, and Bryant-Jon Anteola from the Fresno Bee. Still love my hometown paper.
• I get the absolute honor of sitting down with one of my all time favorite speakers this afternoon. If you don't know Tim Ross, here's a reason why you should.
• People here in Dallas are excited about the way the Dallas Mavericks are playing. But the regular season has never been the problem, it's always been the playoffs were things go wrong.
• When was the last time San Diego State (football and basketball) got more run in the local media than the San Diego Padres and San Diego Chargers combined?
• When football season is over, how are you sports fans going to fill up your weekend with nothing to watch on tv?
• Two months from today, pitchers and catchers report to their respective spring training homes.

LeBron James: The Heat Are Failing and so is The King

The Miami Heat are 9-8 and already had to have a team meeting after getting beat by the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. The players said it was needed, they said that it gave them the chance to get some things off their chest.

Really? I know one thing that I hope was said in that "players only meeting." "Hey LeBron, you didn't think the three of you could come here and the rest of the NBA was going to bow to you, did you?"

Somewhere, Cleveland fans are laughing their heads off. LeBron turned his back on them, "took his talents" to the Miami Heat and now they look like nothing more than a mediocre last place team. They look no better than James' former team, the Cavaliers, who sit at 7-9.

There's excellence in the NBA and their names are the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. These three teams didn't come out with their best three players and hold a "look at us" rally. They didn't sit on stools and promise their fans that they were going to "chase history." They didn't tell their fans that they were going to have a hand full of championship rings by the time their run in Miami was done.

I'm not one to sit here and pile on a guy who's been hated on by just about every fan and most of the media, but I can't help but throw my two cents in.

I'm sorry to say this to you Miami fans, but you've been duped. Yep, you've been suckered but good. You were promised this and told that and, oddly enough, it was by a guy who wasn't running for President of the United States. Ok, that was a low blow, but you get the point.

Let me take you back to ESPN giving LeBron James his own one-hour special called, "The Decision." This was perhaps the network's worst decision they could have ever made. I can't imagine the producers or the CEO watching this train wreck and wondering why they hyped up an event that turned into the biggest waste of time.

What I found so funny about the entire thing is that James tried to make everyone think that no one knew what he was going to say. No one knew the decision that he had come to and that it was all a big surprise.

Really, LeBron? You did book a hotel in South Beach for a huge party earlier that day, did you not? Did you really think that we would think, "hey, maybe he's going back to Cleveland, but partying in Miami?" Come on, do you really think fans are as stupid as you made them feel?

Now, 17 games into the season, James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh are realizing that maybe the hype surrounding these three guys was nothing more than that. Hype.

These three guys can come out and think they own the NBA. They can come out and promise the fans as much as they want. But when push comes to shove, only one of them holds a championship ring. Only one of them knows how to get it done. But, then again, he did get a lot of help from one of the most dominant big man in the last decade, Shaquille O'Neal. So, maybe I shouldn't give Wade a lot of credit for that championship.

James has gotten close, but couldn't get his team over the hump, and I'm not even sure what Bosh has done to be seen as one of the best players in the game. I wouldn't even put him in the upper echelon of great players. Heck, I'd be willing to bet there are 10-15 players who are above him in talent and ability.

If these three guys want to know what it takes to win a championship as a team, they need not look any further than the Lakers and Celtics.

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are the "big three" for that team, but they rely on big performances from Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis among others to get them one win after another. They know they can't have big nights from their best three players and win night in and night out.

The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest, but they get help from guys like Shannon Brown, Derek Fisher, and Lamar Odom to get them the back-to-back championships.

These two teams know that they can't count on one, two, or even three guys. It takes seven, eight, nine guys to put a championship run together. The Heat would do well to learn that and maybe, just maybe, they might figure out that a 9-8 team isn't going to get past the Celtics or Magic in the playoffs, if they can even get there.

There's no doubt that LeBron, Wade, and Bosh are good players together. However, the questions that came in to this season about all three wanting their points and their shots, seems to be holding this team back from what they could really accomplish.

Want the other problem? Against the Dallas Mavericks, a game that sent the Heat to that team meeting I alluded to earlier, "the big three" put up 53 shots while the rest of the team (8 players) put up a combined 22 shots.

They can't win it themselves and the sooner they figure that out, the better off they're going to be. If they continue to rely on only themselves, the more this team is going to fail.

Not that there won't be millions of NBA fans that wouldn't love to see that happen. A monumental failure by the Miami Heat would be met with laughter from everyone else outside of those in South Beach.

So, LeBron, I give you the words of the once great band, Metallica. "Where's your crown, King Nothing?"