2011 NBA Finals

2011 basketball championship series February 2024 December 2022 2011NBAFinalslogoofficial.jpg NBA 2011 Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle 4 Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra 2 May 31 – June 12 Dirk Nowitzki(Dallas Mavericks)Gutty performance earns Nowitzki Finals MVP honors http://www.nba.com/2011/news/06/12/nowitzki-finals-mvp.ap/index.html NBA.com June 12, 2011 June 13, 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110616090307/http://www.nba.com/2011/news/06/12/nowitzki-finals-mvp.ap/index.html June 16, 2011NBA Finals MVP Award Winners https://www.nba.com/history/awards/finals-mvp NBA.com June 14, 2019 September 9, 2019 Mavericks:Jason Kidd (2018)Dirk Nowitzki (2023)Heat:Chris Bosh (2021)Dwyane Wade (2023)Officials:Danny Crawford (2025) Heat defeated Bulls, 4–1 Mavericks defeated Thunder, 4–1 The 2011 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2010–11 season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. A rematch of the 2006 Finals, the series was contested between the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks and the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. It was held from May 31 to June 12, 2011. Entering the series as favorites due to their newly formed "superteam" of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh,NBA Finals 2011 Odds: Heat Heavy Favorites Over Mavericks Tom Ziller https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/5/31/2198658/nba-finals-2011-odds-miami-heat-dallas-mavericks SB Nation May 31, 2011 June 13, 20112011 NBA Finals Odds To Win: Heat Favored Over Mavericks Drew Sharper http://www.thespread.com/nba-articles/052711-2011-nba-finals-odds-to-win-heat-favored-over-mavericks TheSpread.com May 27, 2011 June 13, 2011 the Miami Heat won the opening game and eventually led the series 2–1 before the Dallas Mavericks won the next three games to achieve their first championship in franchise history. Mavericks forward and German player Dirk Nowitzki was named Finals MVP, becoming the second European to win the award after Tony Parker in 2007, and the first German player to do so.NBA Finals: Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks complete stunning run to the championship https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/wizards/nba-finals-dirk-nowitzki-and-the-dallas-mavericks-complete-stunning-run-to-the-championship/2011/06/12/AGrwtPSH_story.html June 13, 2011 The Washington Post Lee Michael June 12, 2011 The series has been described by some sportswriters as one of the greatest finals of all time.Hughes Grant Ranking the 15 Greatest Series in NBA Finals History https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2086409-ranking-the-15-greatest-series-in-nba-finals-history BleacherReport April 16, 2023Shapiro Michael Ranking the Best NBA Finals of the Past Decade https://www.si.com/nba/2019/09/16/nba-finals-ranking-best-decade-warriors-cavaliers-heat-spurs-lebron-james-stephen-curry-kevin-durant-kyrie-irving SportsIllustrated April 16, 2023Benjamin Mike Ranking the Top 10 Best NBA Finals Games Since 2000 https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1679168-was-game-6-of-the-2013-nba-finals-the-game-of-the-millennium BleacherReport April 16, 2023 Background 2010–11 Dallas Mavericks season 2010–11 Miami Heat season The Decision (TV program) Big Three (Miami Heat) Both the Mavericks and Heat made their second appearance in the NBA Finals, the first for both teams being the 2006 NBA Finals. This Finals marked a rematch of those 2006 Finals, won by Miami in six games, after the Mavericks were up 2–0.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2011-05-29-heatwin_N.htm 2011 NBA Finals a rematch of 2006 won by the Miami Heat J. Michael Falgoust Jake Kaplan Jeff Zillgitt USA Today May 31, 2011 June 13, 2011 It was also the first time since 2006 that neither the Los Angeles Lakers nor the San Antonio Spurs represented the Western Conference in the Finals and only the second time since 1998, and also the thirteenth consecutive NBA Finals to feature a Western Conference champion from either the states of California or Texas. This was the first finals since 1998 not to feature Kobe Bryant (2000–2002, 2004, 2008–2010), Shaquille O'Neal (2000–2002, 2004, 2006) or Tim Duncan (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007). The Mavericks' appearance also meant that three of North America's four major professional sports championships were played in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in a span of eight months, with the 2010 World Series and Super Bowl XLV both occurring in nearby Arlington.https://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/columns/story?columnist=macmahon_tim&id=6623664 Welcome to center of sports world Tim MacMahon ESPN Dallas June 3, 2011 June 13, 2011 The Heat had home-court advantage by virtue of a better regular-season record than the Mavericks. This was only the second time that the Eastern Conference had home-court advantage during the Finals since the end of the Michael Jordan era in 1998. It also marks the first time since 1995 that the Eastern Conference team lost in the Finals despite having home-court advantage. The 2011 series marked the first time a Finals match (Game 1) was played in the month of May since 1986. Among the players from both teams, only Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry of Dallas, and Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem of Miami, appeared in the 2006 series with the same team. Heat center Erick Dampier played for the Mavericks in 2006. Aside from Dampier, Caron Butler, Juwan Howard, and Shawn Marion are the only other players who have played for both the Mavericks and Heat. Eddie House, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, LeBron James (James would reach the finals every year from 2011 to 2018, with both the Heat and the Cavaliers), and Jason Kidd have appeared in the Finals with different teams, with House (as a member of Boston's 2008 championship team), Wade and Haslem winning a championship ring. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle won a championship as a reserve for Boston's 1986 championship team making him only the eleventh person in NBA history to win a Finals as both a player and a coach. Prior to the start of the season, Jason Terry tattooed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy on his right biceps, anticipating the Mavericks would be champions this season.Freeman Eric https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/jason-terry-got-a-tattoo-of-the-championship-trophy-before-the-season?urn=nba,wp3909 Jason Terry got a tattoo of the championship trophy before the season Yahoo.com May 26, 2011 November 29, 2017 Road to the Finals 2011 NBA playoffs Dallas Mavericks (Western Conference champion) Miami Heat (Eastern Conference champion)DAL3rd seed in the West, 5th-best league recordRegular seasonMIA2nd seed in the East, 3rd-best league recordDefeated the 6th-seeded Portland Trail Blazers, 4–2First roundDefeated the 7th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, 4–1Defeated the 2nd-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, 4–0Conference semifinalsDefeated the 3rd-seeded Boston Celtics, 4–1Defeated the 4th-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, 4–1Conference finalsDefeated the 1st-seeded Chicago Bulls, 4–1 Regular-season series The Dallas Mavericks won both games in the regular season. #fff November 27, 2010 2010 1127 MIADAL Miami Heat 95 Dallas Mavericks 106 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas December 20, 2010 2010 1220 DALMIA Dallas Mavericks 98 Miami Heat 96 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida Series summary Game Date Road team Result Home team Game 1 May 31 Dallas Mavericks 84–92 (0–1) Miami Heat Game 2 June 2 Dallas Mavericks 95–93 (1–1) Miami Heat Game 3 June 5 Miami Heat 88–86 (2–1) Dallas Mavericks Game 4 June 7 Miami Heat 83–86 (2–2) Dallas Mavericks Game 5 June 9 Miami Heat 103–112 (2–3) Dallas Mavericks Game 6 June 12 Dallas Mavericks 105–95 (4–2) Miami Heat Game summaries All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4). Game 1 #eee May 31 9:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ABC Dallas Mavericks 84 Miami Heat 92 Recap with video 17–16 27–27 17–22 23–27 Dirk Nowitzki 27 LeBron James 24 Shawn Marion 10 Dwyane Wade 10 Jason Kidd 6 Dwyane Wade 6 20,003 Steve Javie, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy Miami leads series, 1–0 Game 1 was the first NBA Finals game to be held in the month of May since 1986. The Heat made only 28.6 percent of their shots during the first quarter, and this low scoring percentage early on left the Mavs with an 8-point lead early into the 3rd quarter. The Heat changed course from this point on, outscoring the Mavs 22–10 and taking a 65–61 lead going into the 4th quarter. Mavs power forward Dirk Nowitzki injured his finger within the last four minutes of the game, but remained in play, wearing a splint to support the torn tendon.MacMahon Tim Dirk Nowitzki: Finger 'not that sore' https://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/news/story?id=6615940 June 7, 2011 ESPN Dallas June 2, 2011 Despite having a below-average performance early in the game, Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade and small forward LeBron James collaborated on both defensive and offensive ends of the court in the fourth quarter, leading the Heat to win Game 1 over the Mavs 92–84.Thomsen Ian Opportunistic Heat take Game 1 as Mavericks struggle to find rhythm http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ian_thomsen/05/31/finals.game1/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a1 https://web.archive.org/web/20110604135401/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ian_thomsen/05/31/finals.game1/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t11_a1 dead June 4, 2011 June 7, 2011 Sports Illustrated June 1, 2011 Game 2 #eee June 2 9:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ABC Dallas Mavericks 95 Miami Heat 93 Recap with video 28–28 23–23 20–24 24–18 Dirk Nowitzki 24 Dwyane Wade 36 Dirk Nowitzki 11 James, Bosh 8 each Kidd, Terry 5 each Dwyane Wade 6 20,003 Joe Crawford, Ed Malloy, Ken Mauer Series tied, 1–1 bWTvCZjQx3c Full game broadcast by ABC The Mavs' 15-point comeback was the biggest in an NBA Finals game since the 24-point comeback the Celtics made against the Lakers in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.https://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/columns/story?columnist=macmahon_tim&id=6621293 Mavericks' duo pull off the incredible June 3, 2011 MacMahon Tim ESPNDallas.com June 5, 2011 Dirk Nowitzki hit a 3 with 26.7 seconds left to give the Mavericks a 93–90 lead. However, Mario Chalmers tied it with a 3 of his own with 24.5 seconds left when Jason Terry left him wide open. After Jason Kidd ran the clock down, Nowitzki then made a driving layup with his injured left hand with 3.6 seconds left. The Heat had no timeouts left, and Dwyane Wade's potential game-winning 3 hit the back rim at the buzzer as he fell to the ground in an attempt to draw a foul on Nowitzki.http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310602014 https://web.archive.org/web/20110605215024/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310602014 dead June 5, 2011 Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks rally in fourth quarter to even Finals at 1–1 Associated Press ESPN June 6, 2011 June 13, 2011 The Mavs' win broke the Heat's 9-game home winning streak in the playoffs, costing them a chance to tie the 1996 Bulls' mark of 10 straight. This was the second straight Finals with a 1–1 split after two games, after five straight years with one team leading 2–0 (2005–09). Game 3 #eee June 5 8:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas ABC Miami Heat 88 Dallas Mavericks 86 Recap with video 29–22 18–20 20–22 21–22 Dwyane Wade 29 Dirk Nowitzki 34 Dwyane Wade 11 Chandler, Nowitzki 11 each LeBron James 9 Jason Kidd 10 20,340 Danny Crawford, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford Miami leads series, 2–1 The Heat led most of the game, but the Mavericks fought back from a 14-point deficit. With 39.6 seconds left in the 4th, LeBron James found Chris Bosh for a 20-foot baseline jumper; Dirk Nowitzki had a chance to force OT, but missed a well-defended fadeaway jumper at the buzzer as the Heat handed Dallas another defeat to go up 2–1 in the series.http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310605006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110607190424/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310605006 dead June 7, 2011 Dirk Nowitzki's late charge comes one shot short as Heat take 2–1 Finals lead ESPN.com wires ESPN June 5, 2011 June 13, 2011 It was Miami's sixth win in its last seven NBA Finals games, four by 3 points or less. Game 4 #eee June 7 9:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas ABC Miami Heat 83 Dallas Mavericks 86 Recap with video 21–21 26–24 22–20 14–21 Dwyane Wade 32 Dirk Nowitzki 21 LeBron James 9 Tyson Chandler 16 LeBron James 7 José Juan Barea 4 20,430 Monty McCutchen, Marc Davis, Greg Willard Series tied, 2–2 Nowitzki was questionable for the game with a flu.Yousuf Saad 2018-06-07 Lineup changes and the flu: A look back at pivotal Game 4 of 2011 NBA Finals https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/383932/2018/06/07/lineup-changes-and-the-flu-look-back-at-pivotal-game-4-2011-nba-finals-dirk-nowitzki/ 2026-02-10 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 Game 4 was a back-and-forth affair, with 12 lead changes and 15 ties. Miami went up 74–65 early in the fourth quarter on a baseline jumpshot by Udonis Haslem, tallying their largest lead of the game. After a timeout, Dallas answered with 4 straight points by Jason Terry, similar to the 6 straight he scored with Dallas down 15 halfway through the fourth quarter of Game 2. Dallas would take their first lead of the fourth quarter with 5:15 left on a fastbreak layup by Terry. They held the lead for the rest of the game, although Miami cut the lead to 1 twice in the final minute. Up 82–81 with 20 seconds left after Dwyane Wade missed 1 of 2 free throws, Dirk Nowitzki hit a driving layup with 14.4 seconds left to extend the lead to 3. After a dunk by Wade with 9 seconds left, 2 free throws by Terry pushed the lead back up to 3. With a chance to tie the game with a 3, Wade fumbled the inbounds pass with 6.7 seconds left, only to make a diving save to prevent a backcourt violation. The ball landed in Mike Miller's hands, whose desperation 3 airballed at the buzzer, preserving Dallas' 86–83 win.http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310607006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110610155805/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310607006 dead June 10, 2011 Dirk Nowitzki fights off fever to rally Mavs past Heat, even Finals at 2 Associated Press ESPN June 7, 2011 June 13, 2011 LeBron James scored just 8 total points in Game 4 on 3-11 (27.2%) shooting, including going 0-6 from the field when guarded by Jason Kidd or Jason Terry, but still led his team with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Game 5 #eee June 9 9:00 pm American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas ABC Miami Heat 103 Dallas Mavericks 112 Recap with video 31–30 26–30 22–24 24–28 Dwyane Wade 23 Dirk Nowitzki 29 James, Bosh 10 each Tyson Chandler 7 LeBron James 10 Kidd, Terry 6 each 20,433 Joe Crawford, Mike Callahan, Bill Kennedy Dallas leads series, 3–2 After pre-game walkthroughs, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade mocked Nowitzki with fake coughs, as they felt like he was "faking" his reported flu;Goodwill Vincent 2022-03-07 Dirk Nowitzki calls LeBron James, Dwyane Wade 2011 NBA Finals jokes 'disrespectful' https://sports.yahoo.com/dirk-nowitzki-calls-lebron-james-dwyane-wade-2011-nba-finals-jokes-disrespectful-195342927.html 2026-02-10 Yahoo Sports en-US years later, Wade acknowledged the incident was a childish in an interview with Nowitzki.Wade and Dirk discuss the coughing incident https://x.com/Mavs_FFL/status/2041111602301120689 Twitter.com After four low-scoring games, Game 5 saw the first time either team would break 100 points in this series. Dallas connected 13 times out of their 19 tries from three-point range. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and J. J. Barea combined to make 10 of those 13 made threes. Late in the first quarter, Dwyane Wade ran into Brian Cardinal and had to go to the locker room with a hip injury; he eventually returned and hit a 3 to cap a 9–0 run that put Miami in front 99–95 with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Unhappy with Terry for missing a defensive assignment and setting a poor cross-screen, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle pulled Terry from the game, telling him, "Refocus. I'm putting you right back in."Caplan Jeff Jason Terry backs up his big talk https://www.espn.com/dallas/columns/story?columnist=caplan_jeff&id=6647319 ESPNDallas.com June 10, 2011 After less than a minute, Carlisle subbed in Terry and made the crucial decision to run the offense through him for the rest of the game. This move ignited Dallas' offense, leading them on a game-winning 15–3 run in which Terry scored or assisted on 11 points. With Miami leading 100–97, Terry passed to Dirk Nowitzki, who drew a double team and then kicked it back out to Terry for a game-tying 3. Nowitzki then drove baseline on Chris Bosh for a two-handed dunk (assisted by Terry) with 2:44 left in the game to give the Mavs a 102–100 lead they would not relinquish. After LeBron James was called for an offensive foul (Tyson Chandler drew the charge), Terry found Kidd for another wide-open 3 that gave the Mavs a 105–100 lead with 1:26 left. After Chandler blocked Wade with 1:04 left, Bosh made 1 of 2 free throws to cut the Mavs' lead to 105–101. On the Mavs' next possession, Terry knocked down a 28-foot three-pointer with James closely guarding him to give the Mavs an insurmountable 108–101 lead with 33.3 seconds left. The Mavericks won 112–103 and grabbed a 3–2 series lead going back to Miami.http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310609006 https://web.archive.org/web/20110612133039/http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=310609006 dead June 12, 2011 Dallas pulls away in 4th quarter, takes 3–2 lead in Finals Associated Press ESPN June 9, 2011 June 13, 2011 Game 6 #eee June 12 8:00 pm American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida ABC Dallas Mavericks 105 Miami Heat 95 Recap with video 32–27 21–24 28–21 24–23 Jason Terry 27 LeBron James 21 Dirk Nowitzki 11 Udonis Haslem 9 Jason Kidd 8 Mario Chalmers 7 20,003 Steve Javie, Scott Foster, Derrick Stafford Dallas wins NBA Finals, 4–2 LeBron James made his first four shots to contribute to the Heat taking a 20–11 lead. The Mavericks went to a zone defense that perplexed Miami and Dallas went on a 21–4 run in a span of 5½ minutes. They made 9 of 12 shots during this stretch with DeShawn Stevenson making three-pointers in a 24-second duration to give Dallas a 40–28 lead with 9:42 left in the first half. Dallas turned Miami's first six turnovers into 14 points. The Heat then went on a 14–0 run to take a 42–40 lead. With 6:25 left in the half, Stevenson along with Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers received technical fouls after a scuffle occurred at midcourt during a timeout. In the second half, James did not score until making a layup with 1:49 remaining in the third. The Mavericks led by nine going into the 4th quarter after Ian Mahinmi hit a buzzer beater to give Dallas an 81–72 lead. The Mavericks took a 12-point lead with 8:12 remaining. With 2:27 left, Nowitzki made a jump shot to help build the Mavericks' lead to 99–89. The Mavericks, who led for the final 22 minutes in the game, won their first championship in franchise history.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2011-06-12-mavericks-heat-game-6_N.htm Jeff Zillgitt Mavericks finish off Heat 4–2 as Dallas wins its first NBA title June 13, 2011 USA Today June 13, 2011 Nowitzki was named Finals MVP.Associated Press http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/06/heat-mavericks_game_6.html Dallas Mavericks take their talents to South Beach, leave with NBA championship, 105–95, over Miami The Plain Dealer June 13, 2011 June 13, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110623051429/http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2011/06/heat-mavericks_game_6.html June 23, 2011 liveBeck Howard https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/sports/basketball/nba-finals-mavericks-defeats-heat-for-first-championship.html Mavericks Defeat Heat for First Title The New York Times June 13, 2011 June 12, 2011 He had a poor shooting performance in the first half but managed to score 18 points in the second half.Rapid Reaction: Mavericks win NBA title https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4679806/page/rapidreaction/rapid-react-mavs-105-heat-95 June 13, 2011 ESPN MacMahon Tim June 12, 2011 When the final buzzer sounded, an emotional Nowitzki went straight to the locker room in tears, although he re-emerged for the trophy presentation. Rosters Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks 2010–11 11 J. J. Barea PG 5 10 185 Northeastern 1984–06–26 3 Rodrigue Beaubois PG 6 0 170 France 1988–02–24 13 Corey Brewer F 6 9 186 Florida 1986–03–05 4 Caron Butler F 6 7 228 Connecticut 1980–03–13 35 Brian Cardinal F 6 8 245 Purdue 1977–05–02 6 Tyson Chandler C 7 1 240 Dominguez HS (California) 1982–10–02 33 Brendan Haywood C 7 0 268 North Carolina 1979–11–27 20 Dominique Jones G 6 4 215 South Florida 1988–10–15 2 Jason Kidd PG 6 4 205 California 1973–03–23 28 Ian Mahinmi C 6 11 262 France 1986–11–05 0 Shawn Marion F 6 7 220 UNLV 1978–05–07 41 Dirk Nowitzki PF 7 0 245 Germany 1978–06–19 92 DeShawn Stevenson G 6 5 210 Washington Union HS (California) 1981–04–03 16 Peja Stojaković SF 6 10 229 Serbia 1977–06–09 31 Jason Terry G 6 2 185 Arizona 1977–09–15 Rick Carlisle Darrell Armstrong Dwane Casey Monte Mathis Robert Hackett Terry Stotts Miami Heat Miami Heat 2010–11 50 Joel Anthony C 6 9 245 UNLV 1982–08–09 0 Mike Bibby G 6 2 195 Arizona 1978–05–13 1 Chris Bosh F 6 11 230 Georgia Tech 1984–03–24 15 Mario Chalmers G 6 2 195 Kansas 1986–05–19 25 Erick Dampier C 6 11 265 Mississippi State 1975–07–14 40 Udonis Haslem F 6 8 235 Florida 1980–06–09 55 Eddie House G 6 1 178 Arizona State 1978–05–14 5 Juwan Howard F 6 9 253 Michigan 1973–02–07 11 Žydrūnas Ilgauskas C 7 3 260 Lithuania 1975–06–05 6 LeBron James F 6 8 250 St. Vincent – St. Mary HS (Ohio) 1984-12-30 22 James Jones basketball, born 1980 F 6 8 215 University of Miami 1980–10–04 21 Jamaal Magloire C 6 11 255 Kentucky 1978–05–21 13 Mike Miller basketball, born 1980 F 6 8 218 Florida 1980–02–19 45 Dexter Pittman C 6 10 290 Texas 1988–03–02 3 Dwyane Wade G 6 4 220 Marquette 1982–01–17 Erik Spoelstra Keith Askins David Fizdale Bill Foran Chet Kammerer Bob McAdoo Ron Rothstein Player statistics Dallas Mavericks Dallas Mavericks 2010–11|- | align="left" | José Juan Barea || 6 || 3 || 21.4 || .382 || .333 || .714 || 2.2 || 3.2 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 8.8 |- | align="left" | Brian Cardinal || 5 || 0 || 6.1 || .667 || .667 || .500 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 1.4 |- | align="left" | Tyson Chandler || 6 || 6 || 37.3 || .594 || .000 || .625 || 8.8 || 0.7 || 1.2 || 1.2 || 9.7 |- | align="left" | Brendan Haywood || 3 || 0 || 8.5 || .333 || .000 || .500 || 2.3 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 1.0 || 1.7 |- | align="left" | Jason Kidd || 6 || 6 || 37.4 || .389 || .429 || .750 || 4.5 || 6.3 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 7.7 |- | align="left" | Ian Mahinmi || 3 || 0 || 9.0 || .600 || .000 || .600 || 1.7 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 3.0 |- | align="left" | Shawn Marion || 6 || 6 || 35.8 || .479 || .000 || .824 || 6.3 || 2.3 || 0.8 || 0.7 || 13.7 |-! style="background:#FDE910;" | align="left" | Dirk Nowitzki || 6 || 6 || 40.4 || .416 || .368 || .978 || 9.7 || 2.0 || 0.7 || 0.7 || 26.0 |- | align="left" | DeShawn Stevenson || 6 || 3 || 17.2 || .542 || .565 || .750 || 1.5 || 0.3 || 0.7 || 0.2 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | Peja Stojaković || 4 || 0 || 6.4 || .200 || .000 || .000 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.5 |- | align="left" | Jason Terry || 6 || 0 || 32.6 || .494 || .393 || .750 || 2.0 || 3.2 || 1.3 || 0.0 || 18.0 Miami Heat Miami Heat 2010–11 |- | align="left" | Joel Anthony || 6 || 6 || 20.6 || .286 || .000 || .000 || 3.5 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 1.2 || 1.3 |- | align="left" | Mike Bibby || 5 || 5 || 17.4 || .350 || .294 || .000 || 1.4 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 3.8 |- | align="left" | Chris Bosh || 6 || 6 || 39.4 || .413 || .000 || .778 || 7.3 || 1.0 || 0.2 || 0.5 || 18.5 |- | align="left" | Mario Chalmers || 6 || 1 || 28.9 || .426 || .400 || .739 || 2.7 || 3.5 || 1.7 || 0.0 || 11.8 |- | align="left" | Udonis Haslem || 6 || 0 || 29.4 || .450 || .000 || .800 || 5.2 || 0.7 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 6.7 |- | align="left" | Eddie House || 2 || 0 || 12.3 || .333 || .375 || .000 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 4.5 |- | align="left" | Juwan Howard || 5 || 0 || 5.9 || .600 || .000 || .500 || 1.2 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.8 |- | align="left" | LeBron James || 6 || 6 || 43.6 || .478 || .321 || .600 || 7.2 || 6.8 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 17.8 |- | align="left" | Mike Miller basketball, born 1980 || 6 || 0 || 15.6 || .304 || .389 || .000 || 2.8 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 3.5 |- | align="left" | Dwyane Wade || 6 || 6 || 39.0 || .546 || .304 || .694 || 7.0 || 5.2 || 1.5 || 1.5 || 26.5 Broadcast notes The Finals were originally projected to begin on Thursday, June 9, but (along with the entire NBA schedule) were pushed up ahead one week to Thursday, June 2 due to negotiations on an impending league-wide lockout at the end of the season. http://newsburglar.com/2009/06/03/nba-lockout-2011/ Newsburglar Will There Be An NBA Lockout in 2011? June 3, 2009 August 11, 2010 Karpuk Brian https://web.archive.org/web/20100806084108/http://newsburglar.com/2009/06/03/nba-lockout-2011/ August 6, 2010 live They were again pushed ahead to a start date of May 31 as both conference finals series ended in five games. The Finals were televised in the United States through ABC (which included the respective Miami and Dallas affiliates WPLG and WFAA), with Mike Breen, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy as announcers. Doris Burke was the sideline reporter, while Stuart Scott hosted the championship presentation. Scott also hosted the pre-game and halftime shows along with Jon Barry, Michael Wilbon, and Magic Johnson. ESPN Radio aired the Finals nationally on radio, with Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, and Jack Ramsay announcing. Until 2014, this is the last Finals to be called entirely by Breen, Van Gundy, and Jackson altogether. Game Ratings(households) Share(households) American audience(in millions) 1http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/07/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-nba-finals-reality-top-summers-first-full-week/94861/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110609180138/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/07/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-nba-finals-reality-top-summers-first-full-week/94861/ dead June 9, 2011 TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals & Reality Top Summer's First Full Week TVbytheNumbers.com June 7, 2011 June 12, 2011 Gorman Bill 9.0 15 15.171 2 9.3 16 15.522 3 9.1 15 15.338 4http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/14/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-nba-finals-reality-dominate-primetime-week/95496/ https://web.archive.org/web/20110616091954/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/06/14/tv-ratings-broadcast-top-25-nba-finals-reality-dominate-primetime-week/95496/ dead June 16, 2011 TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: NBA Finals & Reality Dominate Primetime Week TVbytheNumbers.com June 14, 2011 June 14, 2011 Gorman Bill 9.6 16 16.126 5 10.8 19 18.318 6 13.3 22 23.880 Aftermath thumb|President Barack Obama meeting Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki at the Mavericks White House visit in 2012.|left|220x220px The 2011 edition of the NBA Finals is considered one of the best ever, although it is often overshadowed by the two other great Finals in the decade (2013 and 2016).Zeglinski Robert Ranking the 14 greatest NBA Finals of all time, featuring 2 iconic Michael Jordan and LeBron James moments https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2024/06/03/best-nba-finals-ever-rankings-bulls-lakers-celtics/79832131007/ 2026-01-24 For The Win en-US From the 2011–2020 NBA Finals, LeBron James or Stephen Curry would participate each one, similar to how superstar players Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan accomplished this feat from the 1999–2010 NBA Finals.Paine Neil 2019-05-29 This Is The First NBA Finals In 9 Years Without LeBron. (A Lot Has Changed.) https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/this-is-the-first-nba-finals-in-9-years-without-lebron-a-lot-has-changed/ https://web.archive.org/web/20190529223113/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/this-is-the-first-nba-finals-in-9-years-without-lebron-a-lot-has-changed/ dead May 29, 2019 2026-04-30 FiveThirtyEight en-US LeBron James was criticized heavily for his performance in the Finals.2011 NBA Finals: LeBron James, I'm Not Mad, I'm Just Disappointed https://bleacherreport.com/articles/733333-2011-nba-finals-lebron-james-im-not-mad-im-just-dissapointed bleacherreport.com 2026-02-02 en Eddy DelSignoreMUST SEE Skip Bayless goes H.A.M on LeBron James 2011 NBA Finals game 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSTSK0ifCH4 2011-06-15 2026-02-02 YouTubeThe LeBron James 4th-quarter experience https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/8778/the-lebron-james-4th-quarter-experience ESPN.com 2011-06-11 2026-02-02 en Tom HaberstrohLeBron: “I let my teammates down” in 2011 NBA finals https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/lebron-i-let-my-teammates-down-in-2011-nba-finals NBC Sports 2012-06-11 2026-02-02 en-US Helin KurtHow LeBron James' worst game motivated him to become the greatest https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/35564842/lebron-james-worst-game-2011-nba-finals ESPN.com 2023-02-01 2026-02-02 en Olivieri Anthony"It's all debatable in people's eyes, but not to me when it comes to Jordan" - Stephen A. Smith explained why the 2011 NBA Finals is his reason why LeBron will never surpass MJ https://sports.yahoo.com/article/debatable-peoples-eyes-not-comes-015109898.html Yahoo Sports 2025-08-17 2026-02-02 en-US Shane Garry Acedera James averaged 17.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.8 assists in the 6 games (all well below his season averages), culminating in just an 8 point, 7 assist, 9 rebound performance in a pivotal Game 4 (the Heat would lose this game and the final 2). James was often guarded by smaller players, such as Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, and J.J. Barea, and DeShawn Stevenson, yet could not take advantage of these mismatches.TERRY ON LEBRON'S 2011 MELTDOWN He was worn out, he had no more left. https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/terry-on-lebrons-2011-meltdown-he-was-worn-out-he-had-no-more-left Basketball Network - Your daily dose of basketball 2026-02-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20250118200057/https://www.basketballnetwork.net/old-school/terry-on-lebrons-2011-meltdown-he-was-worn-out-he-had-no-more-left 2025-01-18 en Throughout all six fourth quarters in the 2011 Finals, he scored just eight points. In 2024, James would call the 2011 Finals the lowest point of his career.Walsh Erin LeBron James Says 2011 Finals was 'Lowest' Point of NBA Career: 'I Played Like S--t' https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10115339-lebron-james-says-2011-finals-was-lowest-point-of-nba-career-i-played-like-s--t bleacherreport.com 6 May 2025 en James and the Heat quickly rebounded, winning the next two NBA Finals (2012, 2013).Miami Heat are Back-to-Back NBA Champions https://slamonline.com/nba/miami-heat-are-back-to-back-nba-champions/ SLAM 2013-06-21 2026-02-02 en-US SLAM Staff 2011 represented a high-point for the Mavericks and franchise player Dirk Nowitzki. Before 2011, the Mavericks had not come away with a Larry O'Brien trophy after 10 straight postseason trips. Much of the criticism was placed at the feet of Nowitzki, the team's best player. However, in 2011, it would all come together, with the Mavericks championship run being considered as one of the toughest in NBA history, along with the 1969 Celtics and 1995 Rockets.Hudson Drew NBA Finals 2011: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks Show Miami Heat How It's Done https://bleacherreport.com/articles/733598-nba-finals-2011-dirk-nowitzki-dallas-mavericks-show-miami-heat-how-its-done 2026-01-05 bleacherreport.com en In the 2011 playoffs, the Mavs survived a scare from the Trail Blazers in the first round, handily swept the defending champion Lakers in the second round, and dispatched the upstart Thunder in the Western Conference finals. From there, they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the NBA Finals history by defeating the Big Three Miami Heat. The Mavs did not have the home-court advantage in any of the last three rounds. On the run to the Finals, Nowitzki also ended the narrative as a playoff under-performer, as he tied the record for most made FGs to tie/take the lead in the last 90 seconds of the 4th/OT in one playoffs (since the play-by-play era in 1997) with 5.Jenkins Keith What are the biggest comebacks in NBA Finals history? https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/40337606/what-biggest-comebacks-nba-finals-history ESPN.com 6 June 2025 en 13 June 2024thumb|360x360px|Owner Mark Cuban at the Mavericks championship paradeIn the summer, team owner Mark Cuban elected not to re-sign center and defensive anchor Tyson Chandler.Mark Cuban on bringing back Tyson Chandler: 'Let’s just say I learn from my mistakes' https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/mark-cuban-on-bringing-back-tyson-chandler-lets-just-say-i-learn-from-my-mistakes NBC Sports 2014-09-23 2026-02-02 en-US Pollakoff Brett They also lost top defensive assistant coach coach Dwane Casey to the Toronto Raptors. These losses severely hurt the team's defense the following season, as they fell to 7th place in the conference during the lockout shortened 2011–12 season. Overall, after the championship season, the Mavericks made the playoff four of the next five seasons, but did not win any round. Nowitzki retired in 2019, with the 2011 NBA Finals being the last playoff series he won. Like he did prior to the Mavericks championship season in 2010–2011, two years later prior to the 2012–13 season, Jason Terry, by then with the Boston Celtics, tattooed the Celtics' famous leprechaun spinning the Larry O'Brien trophy on his finger on his left arm.Dwyer Kelly https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ball-dont-lie/jason-terry-boston-celtics-themed-nba-championship-assuming-130409135--nba.html Jason Terry has a new Boston Celtics-themed, NBA championship-assuming, tattoo Yahoo.com August 13, 2012 November 29, 2017 However, the Celtics did not win the championship that season. Jason Kidd would later coach LeBron James as an assistant coach during the 2019–2020 Los Angeles Lakers season. Kidd became the head coach for the Mavs in 2021, a position he held until 2026, after Rick Carlisle mutually parted ways with the team.Ryan Young Report: Mavericks hire Jason Kidd as next head coach, Nike's Nico Harrison as new general manager https://sports.yahoo.com/dallas-mavericks-hire-jason-kidd-next-head-coach-general-manager-luka-doncic-mark-cuban-173004204.html Yahoo Sports 20 June 2025 25 June 2021 The championship won by the Mavericks would be the first for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, since the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and the last until the Texas Rangers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series in 2023. The Mavericks would return to the Finals again in 2024 but fell to the Boston Celtics in five games. In popular culture In Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny's 2022 song El Apagón, he shouts out fellow Puerto Rican J. J. Barea while taking a small diss at LeBron James: "Y de Barea, el que fue campeón primero que Lebron" which translates to "And Barea, the one who was a champion before LeBron". This was in reference to Dallas win over Miami in 2011, which allowed Barea to win a championship before James. References 30em External links Official website of the 2011 NBA Finals 2011 NBA Finals at ESPN 2011 NBA Finals at Basketball-Reference.com Category:NBA Finals Finals NBA Finals NBA Finals N N Category:2010s in Dallas N Category:May 2011 sports events in the United States Category:June 2011 sports events in the United States Category:Basketball competitions in Dallas Category:Sports competitions in Miami Category:ABS-CBN television specials