By Tamara Latta
Staff Writer
The Mavericks have made history bringing the NBA title to the city of Dallas for the first time, after beating Miami 4-2 in the NBA Finals. They have now validated that hard work triumphs over talent. After defeating top-notch teams in the NBA such as the Blazers, Lakers, Thunder and Heat, it’s now safe to say they are the best in the league.
It wasn’t a cake walk for Dallas to climb to the top of the mountain, but they believed in themselves when no one else did. The media and Vegas had the Lakers and Heat favored over Dallas. They came into the playoffs being the underdogs and finished the playoffs being the top dogs. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, who happens to be the sixth man for Dallas, were the two best players on their team. This explains why we should never underestimate a roster that does not have three or more superstars on it; anything is possible in sports.
Nowitzki played the best basketball of his life during the playoffs. His jump shot is the most reliable shot in the NBA, and the most difficult to defend. He averaged 28.33 points in the Finals, which proves that Miami’s defense wasn’t enough to contain his game. After being labeled as being “soft” he has now been upgraded to a “champ.” His performance was so flawless during the playoffs that he was being compared to NBA legend Larry Bird.
Dallas was a veteran team that was extremely desirous and motivated to win a championship. Jason Kidd is 38 years old and the oldest point guard in NBA history to ever win a championship. The Mavericks’ entire 12-man roster had never won a ring before, and this is why their win makes it great for basketball.
Once the game clocked dwindled down and the Mavericks started to celebrate, Chris Bosh had a minor setback because his team was unable to achieve their goal of winning a championship. Lebron James immediately vanished to the locker room, while Dwyane Wade walked the floor unselfishly and congratulated the Dallas staff on winning their first championship. Wade knows how good it feels to win a title; he won his first against Dallas in 2006.
It looks like a local newspaper publication was in denial that the Miami Heat had lost on Sunday. A full-page ad ran in Monday’s Miami Herald that read “Congratulations, Miami” with championship hats and shirts from Macy’s. Someone must have overlooked the memo that the Dallas Mavericks had won the championship. After the ad was published, the newspaper issued a correction and apologized for any inconvenience. A Macy’s spokeswoman called it an error and apologized to Heat fans.
