Dallas Mavericks: 6-year anniversary of 2011 NBA Finals Game 2 comeback
Six years later and the Dallas Mavericks’ comeback in Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals is still “one of the most incredible comebacks in NBA Finals history.”
Six years later and the Dallas Mavericks‘ epic Game 2 comeback in the 2011 NBA Finals is still fresh on my mind.
Just in case anyone forgot, let’s all relive what Mike Breen calls “one of the most incredible comebacks in NBA finals history.”
The way things were looking, it almost seemed as if the Miami Heat and LeBron James were ready to start their new marriage off with a title in South Beach after he had promised his fans “not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” championships.
Still, that’s one of the best celebrations I’ve seen when a team won free agency during the summer. Miami sure knows how to party.
Back to Game 2, public enemy No. 1 in Dallas, Dwyane Wade, hit a corner three right in front of the Mavericks’ bench to put his team up 15 with about seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The wind was knocked out of every Mavericks fan when his jumper swished through the bottom of the net.
To add insult to injury, LeBron started punching Wade’s chest in front of the Dallas bench in what looked to be him signifying the knockout blow for Game 2, and maybe even the series.
My mom always told me to never prematurely celebrate a win, and that’s exactly what the Heat did.
It doesn’t matter what team you cheer for, but that type of comeback is something every fan should admire. Unless you’re a Heat fan, of course.
It started with Jason Terry finally showing up to the Finals and encouraging his teammates during a timeout. After the break, he hit a baseline midrange jumper that sparked an unforgettable run. Jet was huge the rest of the way.
Possession after possession, Dallas started chipping away at what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. Everyone contributed, which was nothing new with this team. The offense was flowing and their defense had shown up.
By this point, Maverick fans were going crazy while Miami was wondering what just hit them. Dallas suddenly had new life in this contest and it felt good.
Dirk’s three-pointer with 26.7 seconds left gave the Mavericks a 93-90 lead, and though Mario Chalmers quickly responded with one of his own, the big German would not be denied, sinking the game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left for the 95-93 win.
This wasn’t the first time Dallas had come back from a fourth quarter deficit. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder could have vouched for that.
Dirk Nowitzki’s three off a Tyson Chandler double screen near the top of the key, Jason Terry’s questionable defense on a Mario Chalmers’ corner three, and a last-second lefty layup from Dirk concluded an improbable comeback that was led purely by a steady veteran team.
The fourth quarter of Game 2 was a turning point for the 2011 NBA Finals. Teams typically don’t fare well when they go down 0-2 in the playoffs. Ironically, Dallas had a 2-0 lead against Miami just five years prior, and we all know how that series ended. We don’t speak of that series or Bennett Salvatore much in Dallas anymore, but it’s something we’ll never forget.
It was the lowest Mavericks fans had ever felt, so going down 0-2 in 2011 would have been completely devastating. Fortunately the Mavs were able to stick to their “blue grit” motto and they pulled out the win, closing the game on an improbable 22-5 run.
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Four games later, Dirk and the Mavericks were NBA champions and Maverick fans everywhere celebrated.