Dallas Mavericks – A win away from claiming the 2011 NBA championship (Part 1)
When the third seed of the Western Conference, Dallas Mavericks, finished their regular-season with 57 wins and 25 losses, no one thought that they will make it to the 2011 National Basketball Association Finals.
The Mavs were the real under dogs for this contention and no one rated them as a finalist. However, Dallas put a leash on all of their bashers with their stunning performance throughout the playoffs. Now, as we are hours away from
the game-6, the Mavs are on the cusp of making history and are just one win away from claiming the 2011 NBA title.
Donnie Nelson, the General Manager and president of basketball operations of the Mavs is also surprised at his team’s performance. Donnie is the man behind the curtain, the one responsible for putting the current squad together.
Expressing the journey with the Mavs, Nelson said,
"We’re like the movie 'The Castoffs'. Our superstar is a superstar. But go down the list.
"J.J. (Barea) is too small. Jason Kidd is too old. Jason Terry is the Stevie Nash boobie prize. Tyson Chandler and (Peja) Stojakovic are returned or damaged goods. And (DeShawn Stevenson) was a throw-in with our Caron Butler deal."
The Mavs began their postseason run against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas dominated the Blazers in the first two games, as their key player Dirk Nowitzki led the attack right from the front. Nowitzki scored 28 points in game-1
and enhanced his performance in game-2 with 33 points.
Just when the Mavs looked in control they were jolted by the Trail Blazers with back-to-back wins. The Blazers bounced back in style and tied the series 2-2. However, Nowitzki had other plans as he rescued the Mavs in game-5 and
6, with another heroic performance, scoring 25 points in the fifth and 33 points again in the decisive sixth game and pushed Dallas into Western Conference Semi-Finals.
The conference semis were set against the mighty two time defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. At that point in time, many were almost sure that this will be the end of journey for the Mavs, as they are no match to Kobe Bryant
and company.
The Lakers dominated the Mavs in the first half of game-1, but the Mavs kept their composure and lift their offensive as well as defensive game and they outscored L.A 25-16 in the fourth quarter to register the first win of the
series by two-point margin (96-94).
With game-1 remained a close encounter, many pro Lakers analyst made predictions that L.A will take the revenge in the next game, but the Mavs were in full flow and proved to everyone that they mean serious business, as they took
victory by a healthier 12-point margin. Nowitzki led the Mavs with game-high 24 points.
Dallas secured the first quarter by 29-27, but failed to match the Lakers’ offense and defence in the second and third quarter and finished the third frame six points behind L.A. Peja Stojakovic hit three daggers from beyond the
arc and Nowitzki put the Mavs in lead with his two successful free throws, before Jason Terry finished the proceedings in Dallas favour with six points from the paint.
With a game-3 victory, the Mavs put the Lakers into 3-0 hole and made it almost impossible for the L.A to make a comeback in the series. The Mavs used a first dominant half to overcame the Lakers in game-4 and didn’t just threw
the two time defending champs out of the title run, but also ended Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson’s career on a bad note.
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