Dallas Mavericks finally land the NBA World Championship – How they did it? – Part 3
Tyson Chandler and the Mavs Defence:
Against the Miami Heat, who were famed for locking down their opponents, the Dallas Mavericks produced vintage defensive displays. A huge reason was Tyson Chandler. The giant centre, brought into the team just in the summer, proved
an unprecedented hit. His steel inside the paint complemented the Mavs perimeter defenders perfectly. Chandler, just by his presence and effort, instilled discipline and confidence in his teammates.
Not to be outdone, the Mavs veterans followed suit. Jason Kidd was enormous on D. Constantly nagging and effortlessly closing down opponents, the seasoned pro made life tough for the Heat throughout the series. Shawn Marion too
was terrific on defence. Given the unenviable task of guarding LeBron James, Marion never once shirked responsibility. Instead, he seemed to relish the challenge and could be seen hounding James all over and often sending a verbal volley towards the King that
seemed to offset his concentration.
Epic game 4:
If game 2 of the NBA Finals was a turning point, game 4 was the real nail in the coffin. The Dallas Mavericks found themselves in danger of falling 3-1 behind after they lost their first home game of the Finals. The 3-1 deficit
is something no team in the NBA Finals has recovered for, so one can understand the desperation present in the Mavs ranks before game 4.
Losing a game at home always harms a team’s morale, but Dallas faced some other grave issues as well. The team’s second most potent offensive weapon, Jason Terry, had been neutralized in the previous game’s fourth quarter by the
imposing LeBron James.
James had done a similar job on Derrick Rose in the Eastern Conference Finals and analysts believed that if MVP Rose couldn’t escape LeBron’s clutches, Terry did not stand a chance. Without Terry on song, Nowitzki had to carry
all of the offensive burden against Miami’s famed defence, something even he seemed to struggle with.
Add to it the fact that Nowitzki turned up for game 4 with a fever, the Mavericks were under a serious threat of unravelling in front of their home crowd, just like in the 2006 NBA Finals.
The veteran Mavericks however refused to give in to despair. The team stood up and carried the burden for Nowitzki this time. Players like Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler made big plays while Jason Terry defied the critics and
put in his share of points.
Still, the Mavericks trailed by 9 points in the fourth quarter and Dirk Nowitzki looked completely exhausted on the court. So what? The Mavericks and their talisman just wouldn’t give in. The visibly ill Nowitzki led a Dallas
comeback, scoring 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Jason Terry put the Mavericks ahead and when Dwyane Wade got the score to 82-81 with 30 seconds remaining, Dallas put the ball into the hands of Nowitzki again. What followed was perhaps the most iconic moment of the Finals.
Nowitzki, clearly suffering from the fever, matched up against the so called “Dirk Stopper”, Udonis Haslem. He waited for a moment, running down the clock a little, and then charged to the rim, taking Haslem along. With Wade and
Haslem both stretching an arm to stop him, Nowitzki put in an under arm right handed layup, giving the Mavs a 3 point lead with 14 seconds to go.
It proved to be enough as the Heat could muster only two points afterwards, with Jason Terry answering with two from the line. Miami lost the momentum that night, with the Mavericks proving triumphant in the face of adversity.
Link to part-1: http://www.senore.com/Dallas-Mavericks-finally-land-the-NBA-World-Championship-How-they-did-it-Part-1-a76031
Link for part-2: http://www.senore.com/Dallas-Mavericks-finally-land-the-NBA-World-Championship-How-they-did-it-Part-2-a76037
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