The Dallas Mavericks ended three decades of frustration by capturing their first championship title with a 105-95 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday to win the best-of-seven NBA Finals 4-2.
Guard Jason Terry came off the bench to score 27 points and lead a long-range assault by the Mavericks, who connected on 11 of 26 from beyond the arc.
“We’re a resilient bunch, and we saw it today,” said Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who averaged 26 points per game and was named the series Most Valuable Player (MVP).
“This whole series we kept battling and kept believing in each other. I think this is basically a win of team basketball.”
Nowitzki hit only nine of 27 shots but, as he had been all series, excelled as the game entered its final stages, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the final quarter to snuff out any Miami hopes of a comeback.
The Mavericks reached the finals in 2006 but lost to Miami in six games.
“I really don’t think there is any doubt after this series that Dirk has certainly earned the clout of being one of the all-time great players,” said Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. “His versatility and how he has done it in the clutch.
“He goes one for 12 in the first half, and then in the second half he was just absolute money.”
LeBron James paced the Heat with 21 points but had a quiet game after the first period when he scored nine. Chris Bosh added 19, Mario Chalmers 18 and Dwyane Wade 17.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra described an ‘emptiness’ following the defeat.
“We have been through a heck of a lot this season,” he said. “There are just no excuses whatsoever. There is no point blaming. Yon have to realise sometimes you simply come up short.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 14th, 2011.
1710998259-0/pti-(1)1710998259-0-270x192.webp)
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ