Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki took a quick stroll down memory lane in a recent video interview with TNT's Ernie Johnson. The retired Mavs superstar shared how he felt the moment the final buzzer went off during that historic 2011 title run:
“It was just the greatest feeling. After all this 10 plus years of hard work you put in that finally you're at the mountain top. It's the best. Especially with that team that we had, with the bunch of older guys that had no egos, and loved playing with each other, loved being around each other — it was the ultimate for sure.”
Here's a clip of the whole interview:
"Finally you're at the mountaintop…"
Dirk Nowitzki looks back on the @dallasmavs 2011 championship during #NBATogether with Ernie Johnson!@swish41 x @TurnerSportsEJ pic.twitter.com/XQp1xdHSny
— NBA (@NBA) April 21, 2020
What made that title so special is the fact that the Mavs were the underdogs coming into the NBA Finals. They were pitted against a powerhouse Miami Heat side led by LeBron James. This was the first year of the infamous Miami Big 3, and despite all the criticism they received all year long, they seemed bound to get their hands on the trophy in just their first year together.
That was until they met Nowitzki and company in the Finals. The Mavs ended up defeating the Heat in six games, with Dirk emerging as the Finals MVP that year after averaging 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.2 triples in 40.4 minutes per contest.
That epic title run has gone down in history as one of the most memorable championships in recent years, and as Nowitzki described above, he considers that to be one of the best moments of his illustrious career.
Follow Us
Subscribe