Lone Star State Shuts It Down; Dirk And Dallas Are NBA Champs

It’s almost kind of cheesy, almost too perfect. When the Mavericks and Heat were set to face off, the storylines were clear. There were the good guys with their ring-less vets, and their “we’re not completely sure how they keep winning, but they keep doing it” tone, the dudes whose whole is far greater than the sum of their parts. And there were the villains with all the talent in the world, with as Brendan Haywood put it: “three of the best four players in the series,” with all the collective enmity of a world slighted by their perceived arrogance. And when the Mavericks beat the Heat 105-95 to win their franchise’s first ever NBA Championship, it was the concept of team, the romantic idea that we’re all better when we work together, that also claimed victory. It’s like one of those reality TV scenes you just know got set up by some producer weeks beforehand. There’s still intrigue, and it’s still entertaining – but gosh, this can’t be real. Until now. Crazy Dan Gilbert might’ve said it best, tweeting: “Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE” … So how did it happen? You’d think Dirk Nowitzki (9-for-27, 21 points & 11 rebounds), Finals MVP, would have to have another huge one to roll past Miami in Miami in a close-out special. Well friend, you think too much (4-for-21 start). Try Dirk starting the game off missing 11 of his first 12 shots. Uh-oh. Enter Jason Terry (27 points): killin’ it in the first half with 19 huge points off the bench. Enter J.J. Barea (15 points): slicing through the Miami D like a rotating blade through NY pastrami. And enter Rick Carlisle: hitting every precise key like the self-taught concert pianist that he is. It was using just enough zone, just enough DeShawn Stevenson, and just enough faith in Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd to chase around two of the top five players in the game. Jim Carrey straight coached ’em up. Dallas went up 12 in the first half and Dirk wasn’t even doing anything. You know that feeling you get after about the sixth beer in beer pong where you get tipsy enough to feel like every shot is money but not sloppy enough to still concentrate? That was Stevenson (three straight threes) in the first half. Abe was sauntering up and down the court. There’s something about bench players and how they get hot that makes you feel bad for Miami. They had Terry and Barea (even though he’s starting now) all figured out. Then they gave them life and Dallas looked completely different … Miami went on a 14-0 run immediately after (really their only high point all game). But they couldn’t sustain it in the second half. Mysteriously, where was D-Wade (17 points, eight rebounds) in the waning moments? And why didn’t Chris Bosh (7-for-9, 19 points) get the ball more? … Imagine if the NBA would’ve had to suspend multiple players for that near bench-clearing brawl in the second quarter? Since it was a timeout they didn’t have to, but imagine a Game 7 with Brian Cardinal passing to Corey Brewer or Eddie House coming off a Juwan Howard screen? … It’s now year eight of watching the most talented and physically gifted basketball player of this generation walk off in his final game of his season a loser. LeBron James wasn’t ever terrible in this series (21 points tonight), but he was never great. With 10 Finals games under his belt and still zero 25-point efforts, it’s now okay to start questioning what kind of player, and what kind of winner this guy is. In the biggest moments of the biggest games, LeBron combined for 18 fourth-quarter points TOTAL. Did we witness the first ever F U from a star to the entire basketball world? The bigger the moment, James seems to just rolls his eyes and walk away. He doesn’t seem to want the responsibility. Hopefully, the Heatles learned a little something about humility. They’ll remember this one the next time they get to play for the crown, because it’s very possible they’ll be back … After 12 years, after shedding the “soft” and “weak” monikers, Dirk is an NBA champion. Now every time one of those “best without a ring” lists pop up on a sidebar of SportsCenter, it won’t have his name on it. If you combined the number of years that Kidd, Dirk, Terry and Shawn Marion played without a championship you’d have around a half-century of NBA seasons. If anybody deserves a ring, it’s these guys. And Dirk has suddenly vaulted himself into the conversation for top 15 players ever. People have never wanted to give him credit, but look at those numbers. RIDICULOUS. With his size and jump shot, Dirk will be a problem for another few years. By the end of his career, you might be able to make the case that he’s the second greatest power forward ever. Think about that … Mark Cuban says he won’t get rings for the Mavs, pointing out “Rings are done.” What will he do instead? G6s for everyone? … This is the most weird/interesting stat of the night … We’re out like the NBA until 2012.

For breaking news, rumors, exclusive content, and contests sent right to your inbox, sign up here for the Dime Email Newsletter.

Follow Dime Magazine on Twitter

Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook

×