The players of the 2011 NBA Finals were quite unexpected as the teams who played the basketball games during the final playoffs weren’t exactly what most considered as typical rivals. The final games this season were played by the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. Both teams were exceptional though the playoffs, especially the final matches, were dominated by the Dallas Mavericks, earning the team their win with a score of 4-2.
The Dallas Mavericks weren’t crowd favorites. They can even be considered as underdogs, entering Game 3 with a 1-1 tie with the Miami Heat, and then losing the game with a score of 88-86 in favor of the Heat. However, it was a different story for games 4, 5 and 6 with the Mavericks dominating the games with scores of 86-83, 112-103, and 105-95, respectively. The Maverick and Heat basketball matchups were quite unexpected. The teams were not typical rivals.
The Mavericks considered the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs their rivals, while the Heat often rivaled with the Chicago Bulls, the Orlando Magic and the New York Knicks. Before the season started, there were a number of individuals who believed that the Mavericks would not do well considering their lineup of slightly more mature players, such as Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd.
Though the team was led by energetic and power shooter German player Dirk Nowitzki, the chances of the team entering the finals seem small. Following their loss of Erick Dampier to the Heat and the injury of Tyson Chandler, things did not seem to favor the Mavericks. As for the Heat, the team was an early favorite.
The pick of all-time Heat head coach Pat Riley seem to have confused a lot of people as he let go of great ball players, such as Michael Beasley and Jermain O’Neal. But Riley was not worried since he had three star players: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Still, many were unsure if the three could work together as a team.
The NBA championship did not come easy for the Dallas Mavericks. Even though they dominated the final three basketball games, they lost Games 1 and 3. They also came back from losing 1 to none, and even 2 to none, to other teams and were saved by the new 2-3-2 format. Apart from that, exceptional players were also awarded with the 2011 NBA MVP being given to Maverick, Dirk Nowitzki.
But the highest pointer was Dwyane Wade of the Heat as he scored 36 points in Game 2 during the finals. Outstanding players according to category include: Tyson Chandler (rebounds), Jason Kidd and LeBron James (assists), Mike Bibby and James (steals), and Joel Anthony, Brendan Haywood, Chandler and Nowitzki (blocks).
