(Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
The Dallas Mavericks’ 2011 NBA championship run was one of the greatest in league history.
Dirk Nowitzki was able to get back at Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat, years after losing in the NBA Finals against him.
The first time around, some people claimed that the referees had plenty to do with the series swinging in Miami’s favor.
The second time, it seemed almost impossible that the Mavs would take down the Heat’s Big 3.
Talking to Thanasis Antetokounmpo for his podcast, Nowitzki admitted that his team may have gotten a little lucky (via ClutchPoints).
“It was tough… I always say we got a little lucky. We saw them in year one, where they’d just gotten together, & I think they were not quite sure yet.”
Dirk Nowitzki on playing against LeBron James, Chris Bosh, & Dwyane Wade in the 2011 NBA Finals pic.twitter.com/HWFmszOh1B
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 12, 2024
The German legend stated that they ran into the Heat in the first year of their Big 3, so they hadn’t truly meshed or determined who was going to take over or take the shots.
The Mavs won 57 games in the regular season and finished with the No. 3 seed.
They beat the Portland Trail Blazers with Brandon Roy and a young LaMarcus Aldridge before taking down the reigning NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Then, they beat a young Oklahoma City Thunder team with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden before beating LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the NBA Finals.
That title run cemented Nowitzki as one of the greatest to ever do it, not to mention the fact that it was a permanent stain on the Heat and their stars’ résumés.
Judging by the competition alone, it might have been one of the toughest NBA Finals runs of all time.
The post Dirk Nowitzki Has Honest Admission About 2011 Championship appeared first on The Cold Wire.