When the final buzzer of the 2010/11 nba season sounded, the Dallas Mavericks were crowned champions. Oh, how sweet it is. A perfect storybook ending, giving closure to what transpired that fateful day, five years ago in the American Airlines Center after six games of duking it out with the Miami Heat. The Heat won their first nba title. They were joyous. After being down 2-0 in the series and winning four straight, to put off a parade route that Dallas city officials had splashed the web and media with. Overconfidence got the best of the Dallas Mavericks then.
Now, the tables have turned. In perfect fashion, scripted out like the best Oscar winning movies the Mavs beat Miami in the exact same number of games, on the Heat's homecourt. Who would have ever thought it would happen? Revenge is served. The Mavs played with grit, hustled and fought for every possession with sheer might and strength. Blood and guts, diving into the stands for looseballs and taking that extra vertical leap to snare an offensive rebound. Making that extra pass, slashing to the hoop.
Who says that three all stars playing on the same team can win championships? It didn't happen. It's not the Olympics when team USA won it all back in 2008 with Lebron, Chris Bosh and Wade playing on the same team. The 2003/04 Lakers team which had Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton made it to the finals but got beaten up by the Detroit Pistons in five games.
In most recent years, the team which dethrones the Lakers in the Western Conference (oddly enough, semifinals) ends up going to win the title. Re: 2002/03 the Spurs dethroned the Lakers who won three straight titles in a row, and right now, Dallas dethroned the Lakers. Coincidence, ain't it?
Dirk finally has accomplished another mission. Winning the most coveted prize in the NBA. Jason Kidd deserves it too, after two previous trips to the Finals and coming up short, in 2002 and 2003 with the Nets. Surely a first-ballot hall of fame candidate, he will not be another "great player who never won a title." The taste of victory certainly feels even sweeter after all these years. 17 years of hard work and being the captain and general of the floor.
To everyone in the Mavs organization and fans, you guys deserve to celebrate and go wild. May the celebrations last for months, till the first tipoff of the start of the 2011/12 season, provided there is no lockout. The first title is always the most memorable.
This coming from a Spurs fan and hated division rival makes it even better, aye?
