2011 NBA Finals Aftermath: Good overcame evil

The face of a champion!

At the end of the match when it was all said and done, Dirk Nowitzki ran to the locker room with time still left and cried.

Good overcame evil.

Five years ago... he choked... and critics bashed him. Years later, Dirk Nowitzki is now a NBA Champion and because of his leadership skills especially during crunch time, we can safely say that Dirk is one of the best players to ever don a NBA jersey.

When the Miami Heat reached the finals, all eyes turned to Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks. They are basically the last line of defense to stop what is an impending Heat Dynasty. People hate Miami. I hate Miami. Lebron James left Cleveland arrogantly and he needs to eat his humble pie or else his arrogance will grow and grow until it’s mind-numbing.

With James joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, they get three of the best stars in the current generation who is not past their primes yet. All of a sudden, superstars dismiss loyalty for money. In a swoop of a season, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony are now in New York. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, dubbed as the 2.0 version of Stockton to Malone, are now playing for Chicago and New Jersey respectively.

In the coming preseason, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are expected to check out the other possibilities in other places.

With the chaos surrounding the NBA superstars, fans wanted to find answers. Leading to the finals, Miami drove past Philadelphia, blew past Boston, and toyed with Chicago.

Enter the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas is a perennial playoff contender that just fades away in the second round of the playoffs. They were also an old squad filled with 30-somethings that have all seen their stars fade. The Mavs also has Rick Carlisle – a Larry Bird boy who was left high and dry when his coaching failed to produce a significant achievement... and Mark Cuban – a noted bigmouth who will annoy the shit out of people when given the chance.

At the start of the playoffs, no one took the Mavs seriously. However, something occurred. Dallas suddenly sweeps the defending champs the Los Angeles Lakers. All of a sudden, Dallas looms to be a threat to win for the West. Oklahoma City and Chicago were both unprepared for the stress and fatigue of the playoffs. With the Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs out of the picture, Dirk, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson, JJ Barea, and Peja Stojakovic know that this is their chance to score a win!

And they developed awesomely.

Just like what I said at the start of the finals, Miami will win every time Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh score a combined 60 points. In Game 6, Lebron James made 9-of-15 and scored 21 points – his second highest output in the series. However, his rebounds (4) and assists (6) output were down. Also, add the fact that he had six turnovers to his name.

For James, 21 points is a sad scoring stat. But what’s sadder is that their leading scorer Dwyane Wade struggled with 17 points – a 2011 finals low – 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 turnovers, and 6-of-16 from the field. Bosh, a player ridiculed throughout the season, looked best among the three with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 7-of-9 shooting.

In all, the trio finished with 57 points.

Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem combined with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 9-of-21 shooting but it was not enough to give the Heat the win. Eddie House who played in place of Mike Bibby, had a key role in the second quarter where they unearthed a 16-to-1 run to take the lead from the Mavericks.

However the lead was short-lived when Jason Terry entered to re-fuel their offense.

Also, Miami’s run ended when Lebron James re-entered the court.

Dallas was the hungrier team when Game 6 started. Miami looked sapped and Lebron looked extremely fragile.

In the battle of top dogs, Dirk Nowitzki edged Lebron James.

Giving the Finals MVP award to Dirk is an easy choice.

Nowitzki struggled in the first half but instead of collapsing, his team picked up the slack. Sure, Dirk had 1-of-12 in the first half but his teammates wanted the ball in his hands. Instead of derailing, Dirk is like a father who needs to feed his kids. He still finished with 21 points and 9-of-27 shots made but fact is, he was not alone. Jason Terry made his best impression as the best sidekick ever and he did this with a game-high 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 11-of-16 shooting. The Jet flew and rained down 3 heartbreaking triples and was responsible for killing Miami’s second quarter run. Shawn Marion was a steady presence with 12 points and 8 rebounds while JJ Barea’s emphatic Game 5 showing continued in Game 6 with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 assists.

Jason Kidd, a 17-year-veteran who is a sure Hall of Famer when he retires, had 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tyson Chandler also played important as well as Deshawn Stevenson, Brian Cardinal, and Ian Mahinmi.

Dirk played with a fever. Wade and James bashed him. He let his actions do the talking.

And in the end, all is good in the world again.