MIAMI — The thumping, bumping, smoke-filled revelry that began 49 weeks ago, sweeping up South Beach in championship fever and transforming the Miami Heat into the most polarizing force in sports, ended in stunned silence Sunday night, in the same place where it all began.
The dancing and preening ceased. The audacity was gone. The Dallas Mavericks, a team of fewer stars, less hype and more humility, stole the Heat’s swagger, then appropriated its arena for a championship party of their own.
With a brilliant shooting night from Jason Terry and a lethal final push from Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks claimed a 105-95 victory at American Airlines Arena on Sunday and clinched the 2011 N.B.A. title in six games.
This was supposed to be Miami’s moment, one that LeBron James forecast last July, when he joined the Heat and giddily predicted a string of titles. But the Mavericks were deeper and steadier, more ready for the opportunity.
“This feeling, to be on the best team of the world, is just undescribable,” Nowitzki said, a championship hat askew on his head, a soaked T-shirt on his chest and medical tape still wrapped around his torn left middle finger, which was injured in Game 2.
In his hands was the box score, which showed Nowitzki with 21 points and 11 rebounds on the biggest night of his 13-year career. He averaged 26 points and 9.7 rebounds in the series, led huge comebacks in Games 2 and 4, dominated fourth quarters and was rewarded with the Most Valuable Player trophy.
The championship is the first for Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, sanctifying their Hall of Fame résumés, and the first for the Mavericks franchise, and its famously passionate owner, Mark Cuban.
It was a victory made all that much sweeter by the location and the opponent. Five years ago, the Heat celebrated its first title on the Mavericks’ home court. That memory seemed ever-present for Nowitzki, Terry and Cuban, the most significant holdovers from 2006.
Appropriately, it was Terry who did the most to guarantee vengeance Sunday, scoring 27 points while going 11 for 16 from the field. In a fourth-quarter timeout, with Dallas leading but the game still in doubt, Terry told Nowitzki: “Keep pushing. Remember ’06.”
“He was phenomenal,” said Nowitzki, who had 10 points in the final period after struggling with his shot in the first half.
Meanwhile, the team that stocked itself with All-Stars last summer and became both a sensation and a lightning rod, fell flat.
Dwyane Wade, who bruised his hip in Game 5, had 17 points Sunday but made just 6 of 16 shots and had five turnovers. Chris Bosh had 19 points and 8 rebounds.
James had one of his better games — 21 points and 6 assists — but it was not enough to save the Heat, or himself from the damage to his reputation after a strangely lackluster series. He averaged a modest 17.8 points and 6.8 assists in the series, with a team-high 4 turnovers per game.
“They did a great job of every time I drove, they brought another extra defender in front of me,” James said, calling the Mavericks “a very underrated defensive team.”
Still, for the sixth straight game, James drifted in and out of the action, carrying himself like anything but a superstar. He had 11 points in the first half, but did not attempt another shot until the 1:49 mark of the third quarter. Dallas closed the period with a 9-point lead. Miami briefly pulled within 4 points early in the fourth but Dallas pulled away and stretched it to 13, its biggest lead of the series.
“There’s certainly an emptiness right now with our group,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said.
James had been dominant in earlier playoff victories over Boston and Chicago, but he shrank on the greatest stage, with few explanations. Spoelstra praised Dallas for its defense and its toughness, praised Nowitzki as “one of the most indefensible players in this league,” and did his best to defend James.
“LeBron has been a lightning rod for a lot of everything, criticism and a lot of the noise that’s been created outside,” Spoelstra said. “I think it’s really unfair. He made a tremendous sacrifice to come here, and he’s been an ultimate team player. He should not be criticized for that.” CONTINUE READING
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