Before Dallas' magical 2011 playoff run, Dirk Nowitzki was destined to join the ranks of Karl Malone and Charles Barkley; NBA legends who despite all their MVP's and All-Star appearances, would never finish their NBA career without a title to their name. Now, by this point, I think that it is well established that winning is the adjoining culture in the NBA that binds together the likes of Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In order to be great, you have to win. So, whilst 2011 was a defining date for the Mavericks franchise, it was also the year that saved Dirk Nowitzki's legacy.
The beginning of the millennium marked the start of Dirk's appearance as an All-Star calibre player. He only moved from strength to strength with every passing season, culminating in an MVP worthy season in 2006/2007. Most would argue that these were Dirk's prime years and the statistics do a lot to back up that fact. From age 27-28, he averaged over 25 points per game, combined with 9+ rebounds and 1.5 blocks, earning the Mavericks the number one seed in 2007 against a tough western conference; beating the likes of Steve Nash's Suns and Kobe Bryant's Lakers.
However, a championship title eluded Nowitzki. In 2006, the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals and took an early 2-0 advantage against the Miami Heat. Miami, blessed with the talents of a young Dwayne Wade and ageing Shaquille O'Neal, rallied and won 4 games straight to take their first title in franchise history. History would repeat itself the following year, where Nowitzki's top-seeded Mavericks fell in the first round to the 8th seeded "We Believe" Golden State Warriors. This defeat would mark the end of Dirk's so called 'prime years' and the following years saw early playoff exits.
In 2011, the Mavericks were by no means an underdog team. With a regular-season record of 57-25 and a roster filled with NBA veterans, they earned themselves the 3rd seed in the west, just behind rival Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. However, the team to beat was over 1000 miles away and contained not one, not two, but three future Hall of Famers. The combination of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and, Chris Bosh had led the Heat to the 2nd seed in the east and proved themselves as an overwhelming force throughout the 2011 playoffs, losing only 3 games before reaching the Finals. That is until they met the Mavericks.
Dirk's Mavericks had defied all odds. After beating Portland's Trail Blazers in 6 games (4-2), they went on to sweep Kobe Bryant's Lakers (4-0) and defeat the OKC Thunder trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden (4-1). Just reaching the Finals was an achievement in itself for the Mavericks but not a single soul in 2011 would have guessed that that year's finals would produce the most meaningful title in the past decade.
In a back and fourth series through the first 4 games, the Mavericks took control in game 5 and never looked back, winning by double-digit margins in the two remaining games and scoring 100+ points. Nowitzki averaged 26 points per game and delivered time after time in clutch situations, most famously hitting the game-winning layup over Chris Bosh in game 2. This unstoppable production was worthy of the 2011 NBA Finals MVP trophy and will go down in history as one of the greatest post-season performances in the history of the NBA.
Post-2011, Dirk made rare appearances in the playoffs, returning the Mavericks to a theme of early exits against younger and superior sides. But can you blame him? There is no doubt in my mind that by the end of his 21 years with the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki did more for his franchise and his legacy than the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant ever will. Talk about controversial right? In contrast, without his herculean effort in 2011, I also believe Dirk would have joined the pile of defeated NBA legends that blessed our league with numerous memorable performances but ended their career with nothing more but money in their pockets.
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