The Dallas Mavericks will play the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals Thursday. They had a unique run this postseason to make it to the finals as a five-seed.
Luka and Kyrie helped the Mavericks finally get over a playoff rival in the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, pushed through the youngest 1-seed in NBA history, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and shocked the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
This will be the Dallas Mavericks’ second appearance in the NBA Finals in franchise history. The Mavericks’ head coach, Jason Kidd, was on the first Mavericks team to make the NBA Finals. Let’s reflect on the last time that the Mavericks made it into the NBA Finals.
The Legendary 2011 Dallas Mavericks Title Run
The 2011 Mavericks squad might have the most legendary title run in NBA history. At the time, the Mavericks had a group of older players that some would’ve called a retirement home.
Aside from the Mavericks’ for-lifer Dirk, who was in the later half of his prime, they had an older Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, a ten-year veteran in Tyson Chandler, a declining Peja Stojakovic, Jason Terry, and Caron Butler, who was hurt for the majority of that season.
The Dallas Mavericks were the 3-seed in that year’s playoffs. In the first round, they overcame the young Portland Trailblazers, who had Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldrige, in six games.
Then, the Mavericks pulled off one of the most shocking playoff upsets of all time by sweeping the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were aiming to have another 3-peat in its franchise history.
They met the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. It was the first time that the Mavericks would face a young and strong Thunder team in a deep playoff run. The Thunder had Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Surge Ibaka, a great 6th man in James Harden, and plenty of depth. The Mavs won in 5 games.
After being down 2-1 in the series, Dirk started to have legendary games to turn the tide in the Mavs’ favor. The pivotal game 4 had 15 ties and 12 lead changes. Dirk would hit the game-winning layup with 14 seconds left in the game after Miami blew a 74-65 lead in the fourth quarter.
Jason Kidd, Terry, and J.J. Barea shot 10-13 from the 3-point arc to lift the Mavericks past the Miami Heat in game 5. Then, the Mavs closed it out in game 6.
How Does This Year’s Dallas Mavericks Team Compare To The 2011 Squad?
Aside from Jason Kidd being on both teams, the two Mavericks teams were led by European superstars Dirk and Luka. The Mavericks teams also had great shooting guards in Jason Terry and Kyrie Irving.
This Mavs team entered the finals at the fifth seed compared to the 2011 squad that played the finals as the third seed.
What makes this Dallas Mavericks team different from the 2011 championship team is their youth. They have younger players compared to the likes of Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, and others.
This Mavericks team plays more small ball, which is now normalized compared to the era that the Dirk championship team played in.
It is very possible that the Dallas Mavericks could beat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals based on their performance this post season. Except this time, they’re not as big of an underdog like how they were when they faced the Miami Heat in 2011.
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