Dirk Nowitzki had a unique leadership style that helped the Dallas Mavericks cause a massive upset in 2011.
In 2011, the Miami Heat had arguably the strongest roster in the NBA, at least on paper. After all, they managed to create a Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in the summer of 2010.
As expected, the Heat dominated the Eastern Conference and attained the second seed. Led by the superstar trio, the Heat easily reached the 2011 NBA Finals.
Considering they were facing Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks, many expected a one-sided affair on the biggest stage.
The 2011 NBA Finals was the perfect setting for a David vs. Goliath story in the league. On one hand, Miami had impressive star power, but Dallas had a well-balanced team spearheaded by Nowitzki.
Former NBA player Brendan Haywood, who was a member of the 2011 Mavs, shared an amazing story about Nowitzki’s mentality in the series.
“Dirk had quiet confidence. He would say it to us, he just didn’t feel like he needed to say it to the world. He would say certain little things, I’d be like, ‘Oh.’ I didn’t know he was like that,” Haywood said, via Run Your Race.
“Some guys have got to get out there and they’ve got to beat their chest and tell you, ‘Yeah, I’m.’ KG [Kevin Garnett] had to announce [it] and that’s no disrespect. Dirk didn’t feel that way,” he added.
But that doesn’t mean Nowitzki was afraid to say what he felt about his opponents. Instead, he made himself clear ‘behind the scenes.’
“That was different. He’ll be like, ‘We [are] taking on the Big 3, they ain’t no real Big 3. If they really wanted to create Big 3, they would’ve come and got me,’” Haywood concluded.
Now, that’s confidence. Moreover, the Mavericks legend had the skills to back up his claims as it was evident throughout the series.
After the first three games of the series, the Heat held a 2-1 lead. Most believed the series was already over as there was no way the Big 3 would fumble this lead, right? Well, Nowitzki proved them wrong.
He locked in and led the Mavs to three straight wins to close the series and left a mark on the Heat’s Big 3’s legacy in their first season together.
Nowitzki rightfully won the 2011 NBA Finals after averaging 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
Sure, the Heat went on to win back-to-back NBA Championships in 2012 and 2013, but Dirk certainly rattled the franchise with an unexpected win in their first season together as a team.
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