How team play beat raw talent: The Dallas Mavericks defeat the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals
The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat met in the 2011 NBA Finals. This matchup was an interesting matchup for many reasons. For one thing, these two teams met in the NBA Finals five years ago. The Miami Heat ended up defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games that year in what was considered a highly controversial series due to poor officiating. Dwyane Wade was the hero of the series, averaging nearly 35 points per game. The Heat had more talent that year, and their talent surpassed the Mavericks, who were led almost exclusively by their MVP, Dirk Nowitzki.
This most recent NBA Finals matchup looked like it was going to play out the same way. The Miami Heat had recently acquired LaBron James from the Cavaliers and Chris Bosh from the Raptors. With Wade, James and Bosh, also known as “The Big 3,” the Miami Heat had the most talent on the basketball court no matter what team they played for, and they were considered virtually unbeatable in a playoff series. In the 2011 NBA Playoffs, all of this seemed about right until the Miami Heat faced the Dallas Mavericks in the finals, where teamwork trumped talent.
Just before the NBA Finals began, fans and punters alike had the Heat heavily favored over the Mavericks. The Heat were young, fast and extremely talented, while the Mavericks were made up of much older and slower veteran players. Along with the age of the Mavericks, however, came a lot of basketball wisdom. They knew how to account for their weaknesses by passing the ball down the court faster, creating open looks at the rim. All of them also played separate in the scoring department, unlike the Heat. While Dirk Nowitzki was undoubtedly the Mavericks’ leading scorer, there were six other Mavericks players who scored 40-plus points throughout the series. Outside of “The Big 3,” the Heat only had one player score 40+ points in the series, Mario Chalmers.
The Mavericks team’s defense was also much better than the Heat’s. They were great at switching defense from player to player, switching from man to zone defense when needed, and rotating off picks. The Heat, while playing good defense, relied more on his talent than the fundamentals of basketball. So while they were able to bounce back on occasion due to their athleticism and talent, this would make them play a less structured defense, allowing the Mavericks to get much more open shots.
In the end, NBA fans got to witness what the game of basketball was originally all about: teamwork. True teamwork finally trumped raw talent, and it was a beautiful thing to watch. Fundamentals and intelligence trumped youth, speed and agility. The Dallas Mavericks were written off by most before the series even started, and after their win, people now understand that teamwork has to be a big focus again when creating a successful game plan.