By Michael Romanelli
In order to appreciate the 2011 Mavericks, you need to understand the struggles the team faced before winning it all. In 2006, the Mavericks won 60 games but lost to Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in the Finals. The year after, Dallas won 67 games and got knocked out in the first round. The Mavericks developed a reputation as a great regular season team that just wasn’t able to “get it done”. That would all change in 2011 when Dallas won 57 games. Despite another great regular season, the Mavericks continued to be doubted because of injuries and shortcomings in the past. Dallas would eliminate Brandon Roy and the TrailBlazers in 6 games. In the second round, Dirk and the Mavericks were the underdog against the defending champion Lakers, who would get swept. In the Western Conference Finals, they would defeat Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Back in the finals for the first time since facing the Heat in 2006, Dirk would look for revenge against DWade and his new teammates LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The series felt like it was already over when the Mavericks were losing by 15 points in the 4th quarter of Game 2, and then they completed one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA History to tie the game 1-1. The Mavericks would defeat Miami in 6 games in a very memorable NBA Finals.