It’s been 11 years since the Dallas Mavericks went all the way and won the 2011 NBA Finals.
A major part of the team’s success was its superstar leader, Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki was an absolute monster during those 2011 Finals and was very worthy of winning Finals MVP, with an average of 26 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.
It was a wild, wonderful run – made even more impressive when you remember who he was playing against.
Dirk Nowitzki went 12-3 against 6 of his peers on the NBA’s Top 75 list, during his 2011 championship run.
4-0: Kobe Bryant.
4-1: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden.
4-2: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade. pic.twitter.com/sGqMnecytx
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) June 12, 2022
Mavs writer Landon Thomas pointed out that Nowitzki went 12-3 against six of his fellow NBA Top 75 legends during the 2011 championship run.
He took down Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in a sweep, 4-0.
He also dispatched Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Finally, he took down LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat 4-2 in the Finals.
All those heroes of the league stood in Nowitzki’s way and nothing was slowing him down.
A True Champion
Nowitzki is easily one of the best players of the last 20 years but he doesn’t get talked about nearly enough.
That’s probably because he wasn’t as showy as some of his peers.
But the numbers and stats speak for themselves.
During the 2011 postseason, nothing was getting in Nowitzki’s way.
Sadly, the Mavericks haven’t been as reliable since his retirement.
But things have been turning around lately, mostly due to the power of Mavs superstar Luka Doncic.
Because of his hard work, the Mavericks went all the way to the Western Conference Finals again.
They weren’t able to take down the Golden State Warriors but they definitely showed they are back in a big way.
Not surprisingly, Doncic has recently been working out and taking tips from none other than Nowitzki.
NEXT: Dirk Nowitzki Roasts Himself In Hilarious Fashion