Led by a phenomenal performance by franchise legend, Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks defied the odds and won the NBA Finals in 2011.
The Mavericks went into the 2011 playoffs as a 3 seed in the West. They won their first round match over the 6 seeded Portland Trail Blazers as expected. Their surprise run began in the second round when they swept the defending champion Lakers and then went on to beat the big 3 Thunder in 5 games. They completed their incredible run when they beat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in 6 games in the NBA Finals. Nowitzki won Finals MVP after a dominant playoff run where he averaged 27.7 points and 8.1 rebounds on 39 minutes per game.
This was the first and so far only championship in Maverick history. They made the finals recently in 2024, but fell short to the Boston Celtics.
