We have reached number one in our countdown of the five greatest championship runs in NBA history. At number five, we had the 2017 Golden State Warriors, followed by the historic 1995–96 Chicago Bulls at number four, the 1994–95 Houston Rockets at number three, and the 2015–16 Cleveland Cavaliers at number two. Now, at number one, we have the 2010–11 Dallas Mavericks.
This was a team that swept the two-time defending NBA champions, defeated an Oklahoma City Thunder team featuring three future MVPs, and then shocked the Miami Heat’s newly formed Big Three in the NBA Finals. Dallas faced five players who would win NBA MVP awards during their careers: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and LeBron James. And they beat every single one of them.
Dirk Nowitzki’s Redemption
Before the 2010–11 season, Dirk Nowitzki had already established himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a former league MVP, one of the greatest shooting big men basketball had ever seen, and the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise. But there was one thing missing: an NBA championship.
In 2006, Nowitzki led Dallas to the NBA Finals, where the Mavericks took a 2–0 series lead against the Miami Heat before losing four consecutive games. The following season, Dallas won 67 games and Nowitzki captured league MVP, only for the Mavericks to suffer a shocking first-round elimination against the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors. By 2011, questions remained about whether Dirk could lead a team to a championship.
Dallas finished the regular season 57–25, earning the third seed in the Western Conference. Nowitzki averaged 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. The Mavericks had a strong veteran roster featuring Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, and J.J. Barea, but they weren’t considered favorites to win the championship. That was about to change.
First Round: Mavericks Beat the Trail Blazers 4–2
Dallas opened its championship run against the Portland Trail Blazers, led by LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, and Brandon Roy. The Mavericks won the first two games at home before Portland responded by winning Games 3 and 4. Game 4 was particularly memorable, as Dallas led by 23 points in the second half before Brandon Roy delivered an extraordinary fourth-quarter performance, scoring 18 points in the final period to lead Portland to an 84–82 victory.
With the series tied 2–2, Dallas didn’t panic. The Mavericks won Game 5 at home before closing out Portland 103–96 in Game 6. Nowitzki averaged 27.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the series. Dallas had survived its opening challenge, but next came the two-time defending champions.
Western Conference Semifinals: Mavericks Sweep the Lakers 4–0
This was the series that announced Dallas as a legitimate championship contender. The Los Angeles Lakers were attempting to win their third consecutive NBA championship. Led by Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles had won the previous two NBA titles and reached three consecutive Finals. Phil Jackson was also coaching what would become the final season of his legendary career. Many expected the Lakers to advance, but Dallas had other plans.
The Mavericks stole Game 1 in Los Angeles with a 96–94 victory before winning Game 2 by a score of 93–81. With the series shifting to Dallas, the Mavericks had an opportunity to take complete control, and they did exactly that. Dallas won Game 3 by a score of 98–92 before delivering an absolute demolition in Game 4.
The Mavericks hit 20 three-pointers and defeated Los Angeles 122–86, completing a stunning 4–0 sweep. Jason Terry scored 32 points in Game 4, connecting on nine three-pointers. Nowitzki averaged 25.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 57.4% from the field throughout the series.
Dallas had not simply beaten the defending champions. They had swept them. Kobe Bryant’s pursuit of a sixth championship was over, Phil Jackson’s coaching career had come to an end, and the Mavericks were heading to the Western Conference Finals.
Western Conference Finals: Mavericks Beat the Thunder 4–1
Waiting for Dallas were the Oklahoma City Thunder, featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, three young stars who would eventually become NBA MVPs. Durant was already one of the best scorers in basketball, Westbrook was emerging as an explosive All-Star point guard, and Harden provided another dangerous offensive weapon. The Thunder represented the future of the Western Conference, but in 2011, Dirk Nowitzki was simply too much.
In Game 1, Nowitzki delivered one of the greatest conference finals performances in NBA history. He scored 48 points on just 15 field-goal attempts, shooting 12-for-15 from the field and a perfect 24-for-24 from the free-throw line. Dallas won 121–112. Oklahoma City responded by winning Game 2, but the Mavericks took control by winning Game 3.
Then came Game 4. The Thunder led by 15 points with fewer than five minutes remaining in regulation and appeared set to tie the series. Instead, Dallas produced an extraordinary comeback. Nowitzki scored 40 points as the Mavericks forced overtime and eventually won 112–105. Dallas closed out the series with a 100–96 victory in Game 5.
Nowitzki averaged an incredible 32.2 points per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 96.7% from the free-throw line. The Mavericks had eliminated a team featuring three future MVP winners and were heading back to the NBA Finals. Waiting for them was the team that had broken their hearts five years earlier.
NBA Finals: Mavericks Beat the Heat 4–2
The Miami Heat entered the 2011 NBA Finals with one of the most talented rosters in basketball. LeBron James had joined Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh the previous summer, creating a superstar trio expected to compete for multiple championships. LeBron was already a two-time league MVP, Wade had won Finals MVP in 2006, and Bosh was an established All-Star. Miami had eliminated the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls on its way to the Finals and entered the series as the favorite.
After Miami won Game 1, it appeared the Heat might be on their way to the first championship of the Big Three era. But Game 2 changed everything. Miami led by 15 points with just over seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and Dallas looked finished. Instead, the Mavericks mounted an extraordinary comeback, closing the game on a 22–5 run. Nowitzki scored the winning layup with 3.6 seconds remaining as Dallas escaped with a 95–93 victory.
Miami won Game 3 to take a 2–1 series lead, but the Mavericks responded by winning Game 4 despite Nowitzki playing through a fever. Dallas then scored 112 points in Game 5 to move within one victory of the championship. Game 6 took place in Miami, where Nowitzki struggled with his shooting, but Jason Terry delivered when Dallas needed him most.
Terry scored 27 points, while Nowitzki finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Mavericks won 105–95, defeating the Miami Heat 4–2 and capturing the first NBA championship in franchise history. Nowitzki averaged 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the Finals and was named Finals MVP. Five years after losing to Miami in heartbreaking fashion, Dirk had finally gotten his revenge, and the Heat’s expected coronation had been stopped.
Five MVPs. Two Superteams. One Championship.
The final numbers tell the story. Dallas finished 57–25 in the regular season, 16–5 in the playoffs, and 73–30 overall. The Mavericks defeated Portland in six games, swept Kobe Bryant and the two-time defending champion Lakers, eliminated Oklahoma City’s young Big Three of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, and then defeated LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the NBA Finals.
Across those final three rounds, the Mavericks defeated five players who would eventually own a combined 11 regular-season MVP awards. What makes this run even more remarkable is that Nowitzki was Dallas’s only All-Star that season. The Mavericks didn’t have a second superstar. They had a collection of experienced veterans, outstanding coaching from Rick Carlisle, and a superstar who refused to let another championship opportunity slip away.
I don’t begrudge anyone who believes the 2016 Cavaliers deserve the top spot for coming back from 3–1 against the 73-win Warriors. The 1995 Rockets also deserve recognition for winning a championship as the sixth seed. But for me, the level of competition Dallas defeated separates this run from every other championship in NBA history.
They swept the defending champions, defeated three future MVPs on the same roster, and stopped the most talked-about superteam in basketball from winning a championship in its first season. Dirk Nowitzki completed one of the greatest individual postseason runs we have ever seen, and the Mavericks accomplished something few believed possible when the playoffs began.
The 2010–11 Dallas Mavericks are number one on my list of the greatest NBA championship runs of all time. And with that, our countdown is complete.
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