Who Won the 2011 NBA Finals?

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals.

The Teams

The Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Southeast Division. They play their home games at American Airlines Arena, and have won three NBA championships.

The franchise began play in the 1988–89 NBA season as an expansion team. The Heat have been since 1996 coached by Erik Spoelstra. Pat Riley has been the team president since 1995.

The Heat won their first ever NBA championship on June 20, 2006, when they defeated the defending champion Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the 2006 NBA Finals, becoming just the sixth team in NBA history to win a championship after trailing 0-2 in the series. Wade was named Finals MVP after averaging 34 points per game for the series. Chris Bosh and Shaquille O’Neal also played major roles in helping lead the Heat to victory against Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, which it shares with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.

The Series

The Miami Heat won the best of seven series four games to two. The series was held from June 9 to June 19, 2011. It was the first time in NBA history that the finals were played in June. All games were played at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The Heat were the defending Eastern Conference champions. The Mavericks won the Western Conference championship, defeating the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals.

Game 1

The Miami Heat took on the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the NBA Finals. The game was close throughout, with the Mavericks leading for most of the first three quarters. The Heat made a comeback in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 27-19 in the final period. LeBron James had a triple double, with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, leading the Heat to a 92-84 victory.

Game 2

The Miami Heat evened the series with a 103-102 victory in Game 2. LeBron James scored 32 points and Chris Bosh had 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat. Dwyane Wade had a solid all-around game with 22 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Bosh’s three-point play with 1:18 remaining gave Miami a 101-100 lead, and they never trailed again. The Mavericks were led by Dirk Nowitzki’s 28 points, but he only shot 9-for-26 from the field. Shawn Marion added 17 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort.

Game 3

Game 3 was another close one, with the Mavericks winning by only 2 points. Nowitzki had another strong game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. Chandler also had a double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win. With the Mavericks up 2-1 in the series, things were looking good for them.

Game 4

The Mavericks won game four 95-93. The game was tight throughout, with neither team leading by more than six points. The Mavericks were up by one point with less than a minute to play when Dirk Nowitzki made a clutch three-pointer to put them up four. The Heat had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but LeBron James’s three-point attempt was off the mark.

The Mavericks now have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. They can win the championship by winning one of the next three games.

Game 5

The Mavericks were not going to be denied in Game 5. They rode a hot start from Dirk Nowitzki to an early lead and never looked back, cruising to a 112-103 victory that gave them the series 4-2.

Nowitzki led the way with 21 points, but it was a balanced effort from the Mavericks as seven players reached double figures in scoring. Jason Terry had 17 points off the bench, while Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler each had 16.

The Mavericks became the first team in NBA history to win a Finals series after losing the first two games at home.

Game 6

The Mavericks managed to prevent a 3-peat by the Heat, winning the 2011 NBA Finals 4 games to 2. In Game 6, the Mavericks were home team and held back the Heat in a 105-95 victory. The game was close early on, with neither team leading by more than 6 points for the first 3 quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went on a 12-2 run to take a 99-89 lead with 4:24 left in the game. The Heat were able to bring it within 6 points with 1:44 remaining, but could not get any closer as the Mavericks went on to win by 10 points. This was the Mavericks’ first NBA championship in franchise history.

Game 7

The Mavericks won the game 95–105. Dallas became the first team in NBA Finals history to win a Game 7 on the road. Nowitzki was named the NBA Finals MVP, becoming the first European-born player to receive the award. He was also the second Maverick to win it, after Steve Nash in 2006. Nash was one of six Mavericks players who scored in double figures. He had been resting a sore right hamstring that he injured in Game 5, but he still managed 11 points and 10 assists. Terry led Dallas with 27 points, while Shawn Marion scored 25 and Brendan Haywood had 10 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. James had 21 points and six assists for Miami, Wade finished with 19 points and Bosh had 15 points and nine rebounds. It was James’ sixth Finals loss (1–6).

The Aftermath

The Dallas Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals, which was a huge surprise to many. The Mavericks were the underdogs in the series, but they managed to pull off the upset. Now that the Finals are over, let’s take a look at what happened.

The Legacy of the 2011 NBA Finals

The 2011 NBA Finals was a battle between the two best teams in the league. The Miami Heat, led by superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, faced off against the Dallas Mavericks, led by superstar Dirk Nowitzki. The series went back and forth, with each team winning on their home court. In the end, the Mavericks won the series in six games.

Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP, and the Mavericks were hailed as one of the best teams in NBA history. The Heat, on the other hand, were left to wonder what could have been.

The 2011 NBA Finals was one of the most thrilling and memorable series in recent memory. It will be remembered for Nowitzki’s heroic performance, the Heat’s collapse, and the Mavericks’ improbable victory.