Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks are set to take on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, and the future Hall of Famer can't help but reminisce his best moments at Staples Center. During the Mavs' shootaround, Nowitzki was asked about his favorite moment in the said arena, and his answer was pretty obvious.
“It’s got to be when we beat the (Los Angeles) Lakers here in the playoffs, when we swept them that year in the (2011 postseason) and we beat them twice here. Those big, big games stand out.
“Those two where we stole it here was probably the biggest games.”
The Mavericks won the championship in 2011, and during the second round of the playoffs, they faced the Lakers, who were the reigning two-time defending champions back then. Nobody saw that Dallas will be able to pull an upset, much more a sweep, against the Lakers, but they did.
Article Continues BelowNowitzki and the Mavs continued their Cinderella story in the Finals, when they faced the Miami Heat, who just formed the superteam of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh before the season began. They lost the first two games, and everybody thought they were done for, but again they came roaring back and won the next four to win the franchise's first and only title so far.
Nowitzki is expected to retire after this season, and in what could potentially be one of his final games at Staples Center, fans are expected to pay tribute and show their respect to arguably the best international player in NBA history.