Vindication: Mavs, Nowitzki Revel in the Wildest of Victories for Title

Even before he reached the locker room, gazing around to embrace the overjoyed moment, Dirk Nowitzki was overwhelmed, walked through the hallway of a hostile environment and then cried alone. He may have well been the best player of these Finals, relentless in shooting, savvy in his play and bearing his own criticism.

The night for the Dallas Mavericks was indescribable and unbelievable, a night when Nowitzki finally conquered vengeance, abiding vindication after meeting standards of the greatest triumph in franchise history. So now, he won't be ignored given history, but appreciated as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, a team leader and a clutch finisher to lead the Mavs to its first NBA championship in franchise history. Once he emerged from the tunnel and reappeared onto the floor for the trophy presentation, Nowitzki brought exhilaration and smiles, greeted with prolonged hugs and walked onto the podium to hoist the MVP hardware and the Larry O'Brien trophy.

"We're world champions," Nowitzki said in the conference room, with his Finals MVP trophy and a bottle of champagne.

"It sounds unbelievable."

Nowitzki, the seven-foot German who won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award, a player with self-consciousness, wasn't afraid of shooting the ball. Although he couldn't drain a bevy of missed shot attempts early on, he continued hurling shots and hit 8-of-15 in the second half, scored 18 points and guided the Mavs to an exceptional 105-95 win over the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena Sunday night for the NBA championship. There once was a bombastic owner who relished the spotlight for being the focal point of the Mavericks.


In this glamorous moment, Mark Cuban, the cyber nutcase that separates him from the normal owner of pro basketball, was finally humbled and celebratory just as his players jubilated and embraced the beauty of a title. When the Mavs were crowned champs, capturing a remarkable accomplishment of his 11 years of ownership, the famously loudmouthed owner carried himself with dignity and class. Most of all, for some time, Cuban has waited patiently to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy and indeed he has won the grandest prize by putting together a brand of talented stars, pampering his players and paying his athletes.

It's not as though Cuban was a terrible owner with an infamously outspoken mind that has gotten him into trouble in recent years, but it was the NBA fines he amassed because of his infantile hissy fits and absurd remarks. However, on a night that he honored the franchise's original owner, Donald Carter, who stood on the podium proud and speechless wearing his tall cowboy hat, there was nothing that Cuban uttered foolishly.

The growing idiocy wasn't what drew the attention, not even his harsh criticism of the officials, but his innovative framework to fittingly lure talent and manufacture a charismatic core. Here is Cuban now, all grown, knowing when to talk and shut up, tired of being inflicted with fines that cost millions. By now, no one is blinded by the product he has placed on the floor in Dallas, becoming the only owner in Mavericks' history to be honored in such a sterling night.

"Mark wanted to do it this way," said an overjoyed Carter. "He just wanted the trophy to go through the progression. We started it and he took it to the finish line. And with class."

It's perfectly the reality no one ever imagined in the most electrifying closure for the Mavs, a franchise nobody ever believed in and doubted entirely throughout the postseason, calling Dallas the one-and-done team. For once, in his lifetime, Nowitzki never choked in the Finals and carried the Mavs to astounded exultance.

Forgive me for doubting Nowitzki.

It was only five years ago, a point in his career that Nowitzki wasn't a stud or even one of the best shooters, when he and the Mavs collapsed in the '06 NBA Finals. It wasn't long ago, finally mentioned in the company with a myriad of NBA greats, when he was incapable of hailing as the MVP or team leader, he was disqualified as one of the all-time greats and couldn't beat the eighth-seeded Golden State in a stunning upset. It ought to be considered one of the greatest redemptive tales in basketball, a defining ending for Nowitzki to hush the disbelievers with his shooting clinics, determination, mentality and thirst for a legitimate title.

And now, of course, Dirk is purging the haunted memories at last, ousting all the painful mischances. It's the era we live in, one which the Mavs capped a stunning postseason to clinch a victory in the Finals, lifting beyond all expectations this season, not even Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson beheld a surprise party. It's the culture every basketball franchise wish it had, one which has persistence, tenacity and chemistry, particularly in a sport where it requires at least three solid players.


By any notable accounts, the Mavs had the proper ingredients to bring home the prize, fueled by the presence of Nowitzki and even veteran point guard Jason Kidd, along with his counterpart Jason Terry, who backed up his trash-talk and carried the Mavs with a stellar performance. The Mavs, as the better team, responded well to adversity and defeated arguably the greatest trilogy in basketball all-time. As a unified core, stuck together through the toughest road of each series and played impressively.

"It was not our motivating factor going in," Terry said of the awful '06 experience. "But now that we have done it, you can say it was sweet vindication."

When it was over, Nowitzki embraced Kidd and celebrated the moment, but the man worth endearing was Terry. The truth here is, he doesn't have to remove his Larry O'Brien tattoo on the inside of his right arm, after vowing that he would remove it had the Mavs lost. The prophecy from Terry was true after all and he played brilliantly ever since Nowitzki publicly said that he needed contributions.

The relief on Nowitzki, in retrospect, was convenient in Game 6, because Terry not only played as the sixth man building upon his legacy as he has done at a very young age in his hometown Seattle and stifled James but he posted 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting. For all of the superstars no one ever generates conversations about, Kidd at the age of 38 had eight assists and phenomenal ball-handling and DeShawn Stevenson launched threes off the bench.

"Was he unbelievable tonight or what?" Nowitzki said of Terry.

The best of the Mavs' pursuit of excellence happened in the title-clinching win, based on the adjustments by the well-respected coach Rick Carlisle. The highest level of quality for any team is adjustments and the sizable role players to pour in points off the bench. And the amazing player in this game was J.J. Barea, for scoring 15 points. Greater than it all, Shawn Marion produced 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds as usual, and impeccably Brian Cardinal nailed a three-pointer and had an assist.

As in every human, Dirk struggled with his rare misses for much of a peculiar Game 6, the unanticipated shooting debacles to score a manageable 21 points with 11 rebounds. But leave it to Terry with five crucial baskets in the final 7:22 to stain the Heat's potential dream of being crowned champs. By the second half, under his own willpower and willingness, he bounced back from a horrifying 1-for-12 shooting calamity. It's more woeful for the Heat, and as poorly as LeBron James played in the NBA Finals disengaged to endure greatness, he diminished as Nowitzki rose because of his fourth-quarter brilliance. And yes, in the elimination game, LeBron finally scored in the fourth.

"It was weird. In the first half, I had so many good looks," Nowitzki said. "I can't even explain it. I had some 3s top of the key. I had a wide-open 3 in the corner. I had some pull-ups. I had some one-legged fadeaways that I normally make."

Then too, the Mavs entered the series with more swagger and urgency as Dirk wasn't allowing another heartbreaking collapse smear an earnest run for the NBA title, enough to convince us worldwide that Dallas can precisely beat Miami to win the championship on the road. It was already discovered in Game 4 of the Mavs' improbable second-round sweep of the Lakers. While there was plenty of shame on a video that unveiled Friday featuring Wade and James ridiculing Nowitzki's illness, it may have angered the Mavs to play harder and be more engaged for the moment and indeed Dallas attacked with more ferocity, intrepidity, certainty and perseverance.

"Our guys took it personally tonight," Carlisle said. "They were not going to be denied. Dirk and [Terry] have had to live for five years with what happened in 2006. And as of tonight those demons are officially destroyed."

All playoffs, Nowitzki was undoubtedly the best player, enduring pain from a torn tendon in his middle finger on his left hand and then a sinus infection, including a high fever in this series. Amazingly, he pressed on. He's not devoid of an NBA tile suddenly, when there are six NBA MVPs deprived of a championship. To name a few: Among active players, there is Steve Nash and Derrick Rose. In that company, nonetheless, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone and Charles Barkley all never won a title. At the end of the night, Nowitzki and the Mavericks were seen partying on South Beach at the famous club LIV at the Fontainebleau Hotel with the Larry O'Brien trophy where Cuban was wildly dancing and jiving with his players after Dallas had avenged their failures of the '06 Finals.

A week from his 33rd birthday, and he just built a monumental legacy surrounded by the profound supporting cast. The Mavs were worthy of the title all alone. And since the NBA is the one sport where it is not a rarity to win back-to-back titles, determined by how the collective bargaining agreement fares, Cuban still has the motive to pursue a free-agent in the summer of 2012 for the Dwight Howard or Chris Paul sweepstakes, particularly if he can clear salary-cap space and influence some of his free-agents to demand less in salary.

"This is as mentally tough a team as I've ever been around, and I was fortunate enough to play in the '80s with those great Boston teams," Carlisle said. "And that team had four Hall of Famers. What this team was able to do with guys like Cardinal, Mahinmi, Barea -- those guys played major, major roles in a championship game."

Through six games, Nowitzki had the highest-scoring fourth quarter. If you haven't noticed, he was resilient in Game 6 after a 4-of-21 start, a rare and slow start for a gifted shooter of Nowitzki's caliber. But all that mattered was how he finished, shooting 5-for-6 near the end. At one point, late in the game of course, he couldn't miss shots and drove to the basket with his incredible size and upper body strength, he couldn't miss shots popping jump shots continuously. With four points and 11 rebounds off the bench, Ian Mahinmi hit the biggest shot of his career, if not of Game 6 and nailed a 14-footer as the clock expired to end the third that gave the Mavs an 81-72 advantage.

In a remarkable run, it took teamwork and effort. And Cuban surrounded Nowitzki with enough star power for the sweetest victory in Mavs existence. Plain and simple, the Mavs were just the better opponent and wanted it more than the Big Three in South Beach.

Nowitzki Produces His Own Legend in Breathtaking Comeback

It just so happened that the Mavericks awakened when the stakes were larger than life, before Dirk Nowitzki -- a public figure too often denounced for the wrath of failures in the postseason or Finals -- encountered endless criticism. So disappointingly, for a franchise that seemed to displease us more than fascinate us, Nowitzki was the focal point of any frequent blemishes in the postseason and never prevailed to save the Mavericks from itself -- or better yet -- at least delight the petulant owner Mark Cuban.

If the Mavs dare to venture in the Finals and hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy in June, Nowitzki must know the significance in rescuing Dallas as the team was under duress and trailed for much of the night. In a way, he knows the Mavs are superb and have been evidently the deepest unit in these playoffs, elevating to an all-time high and ready to capture a championship in order to relieve themselves of the bitter collapse in the '06 Finals. So now, five years later, Nowitzki drove Dallas to one of the greatest epic comebacks in ancient history. The other night in Miami, where the liveliness in the city uplifted the mood, the Mavs weren't so lucky and lost Game 1 because of porous shooting.


Remember what happened back in the '06 Finals collapse?? If we could grasp a clearer understanding and follow one's mind, maybe we then would corral the assumption that Nowitzki won't allow this to happen again, ready to erase the nightmarish thoughts of blunders and heartbreaking collapses. The home crowd booed forcibly and turned silent when the Mavs came back from a 15-point deficit and avoided the dismay on the emotional and inspirational performance late near the end of regulation from Nowitzki. All of this defines a series filled with eventful drama, watching the Mavericks survive with a breathtaking come-from-behind victory in the closing minutes to close it out in a dramatic fashion.

“Dirk knows for us to win this series he’s going to have to play all-around basketball,” Rick Carlisle said. “He’s going to have to fight through periods where the ball isn’t necessarily going in the basket, which he did tonight.”

With 24.5 seconds on the clock, Nowitzki stood over on the sideline where he looked disgusted and furious in the huddle as head coach Rick Carlisle diagrammed a solid play on the last possession, all while Nowitzki recalled the collapse to the Miami Heat. Those are fiascoes that continue to haunt Nowitzki, and as much as he has been blamed for the struggles, he wasn't allowing the Mavs to stumble again.

Seconds later, while coming out of the timeout, he walked onto the floor in the tense seconds of Game 2 and he was given the ball after it was promised that he would touch it on the last possession. Down by 15 with over six minutes left, the Mavs rallied and survived on Nowitzki's brilliance, closing the game and tying the best-of-seven series from a magnificent 22-5 run. Once the Mavs and Nowitzki found their swagger, it was immutable to cease Dallas from an enduring run that ended the night and gave the Mavs a 95-93 win.

It's clear that the Mavs, as evidence reveals a much-improved Dallas squad after such a historic comeback, are built as a championship-caliber team. If not for Nowitzki, even if the Mavs are surrounded by an ultimate brand of talented role players, Dallas wouldn't be so resilient or poised. The salvation is a lift in the Mavericks' playoff success, hungrier and stronger than the last Finals appearance, finally playing with confidence and perseverance.

It was because of Nowitzki, a foreigner from Germany, for which the Mavericks advanced to the Finals and clearly turned it around in Game 2. It was because of a seven-footer, a skilled shooter who can knock down an array of shots with the arsenal in hurling jump shots, for which Dallas had a courageous mindset and believed in Nowitzki late in the game.

More than likely he's one of the greatest shooters, perhaps one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. It certainly feels like he is when Nowitzki hastily drove to the rim, pushed from the right to the left, lifted the ball skyward and dribbled past a defenseless Chris Bosh. That's right, he couldn't hesitate to float into the paint with a torn tendon in his index finger on his left hand and had the ball where he is notably efficient. The ball landed into the basket with 3.6 seconds left.


If Nowitzki is as mentally dominant as we've come to believe, he indeed was on this particular night, scoring nine straight points to finish one of the most improbable, implausible comebacks in NBA Finals history. This isn't to suggest, mind you, that the Mavs can win it all, celebrate and host a parade in downtown Dallas in the upcoming weeks but, in clarity, this is a series with much drama and intense excitement.

For one, if you haven't noticed, the Mavs are alive and can make it challenging for the Heat. It's such an insult to rule out the Mavs, and maybe even greater, Dallas delivered a convincing blow to the Heat. All it takes is one player to discourage and disrupt Miami's blueprint for success -- when the Heat built invincibility during the playoffs.

In most ways, the Heat probably carried a pompous disposition about themselves, and mostly everybody sensed a lopsided, uncontested finish on a night that Dwyane Wade dropped 36 points on an abundance of empathetic dunks as the Miami superstar discombobulated the Mavs. Best of all, whatever improvements the Mavericks made since '06, from roster transitions to offseason upgrades, Nowitzki shattered the Heat's heart and became an NBA legend.

Because it was a night that the Mavericks were humiliated and incensed in a blowout, as the Heat dunked on and walked all over Dallas, no one ever imagined an epic rally. It was a stunning collapse for the Heat, it was the Mavericks propelling to a historic comeback in Game 2 of the Finals. And all of the sudden, it's a thrilling series to remind the viewers what fun the NBA presents.

With the series even at 1-1, the series shifts to Dallas for the next three games resuming Sunday night. The series was OVER to some, when Wade fired a three-pointer from the corner in front of the Mavs bench and gave the Heat an 88-73 lead as the building erupted. Through the Heat's ferocious defense forced turnovers on many possessions and resulted in fastbreak dunks or alley-oops, allowing Miami to kill the Mavs in transition, Nowitzki responded like a leader and changed the dynamics of the series.

It was an unbelievable push in the final minutes and Nowitzki scored with his injured left hand, driving twice for left-handed layups, along with the game-winning shot to end any possible thoughts of foundering in a horrid catastrophe. It's rather surprising to see Jason Terry quiet in this series, but he suddenly came to life in the second game of the Finals. When he left Mario Chalmers open for an uncontested three-pointer, Nowitzki scolded him.

"Big fella told me he had my back,” Terry said. “And he did. He came down and got the game-winning bucket.”

The surest thing is that Nowitzki solidified his legacy when he scored on a jumper and heaved a layup to tie the game at 90-90. His late heroics stunned the Miami fans in the stands as he was proficient in his promise to beat the Heat and dashed to the rim.

As the Heat celebrated prematurely, Nowitzki laid it on the glass. This was the beginning to redemption for Nowitzki and the Mavs in an epic finish we'll be talking about eternally.

Mavs Need Helping Hand from Dirk Nowitzki or No Glory

This was a chance for Dirk Nowitzki to make the deepest statement, to vindicate that he is the prolific player of these NBA Finals and better than ever before, to send a sense of upbeat vibes in the series. This was when Nowitzki was supposed to kick butt and channel Chuck Norris or Cynthia Rothrock, and then inspirit David Hasselhoff to join the craze in the Heart of Texas. But he's delivered a subpar performance and rendered indisputably the most chaotic, lowest scoring percentage that we had the displeasure seeing in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.


What we have seen is Nowitzki expose his weaknesses at the worst possible time, unable to avenge the painful memories from when he faltered in the 2006 Finals against the Miami Heat. The star of the Dallas Mavericks poured in 27 points in the lightest fashion and eventually unveiled he had sustained a torn tendon in the middle finger of his left hand. He stood in a corner on the court of American Airlines Arena in Miami, located on the edge of the bay, optimistic about his ability to play at an all-time high as the assassin who answered in prior series with no conscience for his array of phenomenal shots.

So when Nowitzki and the Mavericks withered in the first game of the series, missed shots and lost a decisive game, I had suddenly pondered and flashed back to the nightmarish point in time that he unsteadily unraveled. It's a no-brainer he's absolutely fixated on the task at hand, when he's never embraced the moment of capturing a second Western Conference title. It was the night he disappeared from the trophy presentation, jumping over the scorer's table and hiding in the tunnel to avoid the national spotlight of flashbulbs and swarming media personnel.

The last thing Nowitzki wants is another meltdown, on pace to avenge the painful collapse -- ready for a suspenseful and striking rematch on the path to redemption only if he grinds out his first ever NBA championship and doesn't come unglued in the national landscape given his reputation of descending. If you can recall, as the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead on the Heat in the '06 Finals, Nowitzki couldn't vanquish from the burden of failures in the past. There was one point, such as when we were overly obsessed with Nowitzki prematurely considered to be one of the greatest players of all-time, if not the deadliest shooter, when the god of the Mavs carried Dallas in Game 3 in Miami by maintaining a 13 point lead with 6:42 left, but then all of the sudden underperformed and took much criticism for the struggles.

Is he overrated?? In my view, he is the best player in these playoffs. And coming in a different scenario, he never has been fully capable of capturing a title or leading the Mavs to the biggest victory. This season, he was more than the freakish athlete, more than the appreciated star in Dallas, only a man endeared for modifying the personality in a sport that relies on an influx of star ballplayers. Before entering the Finals, he was a breakthrough performer who suddenly relived the moment, when he drove the Mavs literally through the postseason, including with the helpful contributions of the veteran point guard Jason Kidd, forward Shawn Marion, and the emotional defender at center Tyson Chandler and, of course, the journeyman Jason Terry -- a main fragment for the much-improved '06 Mavs.

As of today, he still has the chills and goosebumps by thinking of the bitter ending that he has never stopped dwelling on, knowing how close the Mavs were to winning a championship. That's how the situation looks for Nowitzki, a typical victim for not only allowing his opponents to defeat him, but also for beating himself. A day later, after watching film and working out in practice on Wednesday, Nowitzki said he is ready to respond. But then, he might be declining again when so much is on the line, hit by a roadblock now that the Heat stands in the way.

What's more, with many postseason appearances, is he advanced to his 11th straight postseason and started as one of only four players all time to average at least 25 points and 10 rebounds per game. That wouldn't, by the numbers, rank Nowitzki higher than many active ballplayers, although he has compiled 32.2 points on 55.7 percent shooting in the Western Conference Finals. In reality, he is an elite player, but he hasn't led the Mavs to a championship and stumbled in the finish. Therefore, he is trying harder than ever to not walk away winless in his 13th season.

A couple of weeks ago, he surely recalled the Game 3 collapse with too much mournful thoughts as Nowitzki lamented and finished 2-of-14 from the floor for 16 points in Game 4 of the '06 Finals in the 98-74 rout. The point is -- he performed the choke job in prior seasons -- particularly in critical series, at this time of year. All we know is that the Mavericks, owned by the cyber bully Mark Cuban, have a bevy of experience when the billionaire has lavished his players with wealthy paychecks to build the deepest contender in the West.


Now, we are left to wonder if Nowitzki can finally lead the Mavs five years after they were obliterated by the Heat. Now, we are left to wonder if Nowitzki, who is having the best season of his outstanding career, can actually transcend in his prime with a dimensional nucleus of talent. Twice in his winsome career, Kidd has lost in the Finals. There is even Terry and Peja Stojakovic, a pair of sharpshooters with lethal ability to slaughter their opponents from long range. Then come the Mavs’ centers, Chandler and Brendan Haywood, two of the tallest players with tremendous size in the paint. There is much to like about Nowitzki -- for instance -- he has proven to be a solid player, a perennial star in the postseason, though he hasn't proven he can lead a franchise to a championship.

That much is an explanation for all the criticism the much-scrutinized megastar takes in each season. But now, quicker than he drills a three-pointer, the Mavs' aspirations might be determined based on Nowitzki's ability to play at a moment when his presence is a necessity in Dallas' championship pursuit. And whether people are willing to believe it or not, Nowitzki admittedly informed everybody that he is optimistic the middle finger on his left hand with the torn tendon won't affect his ability to release shots.

Welcome to the playoffs, folks. Over the course of his career, Nowitzki has certainly fought through pain from injuries. First, he nursed a number of ankle sprains, and then he amazingly made a speedy return after having Carl Landry's chipped teeth removed from his elbow. Earlier in the season, he also recovered from a sprained right knee and returned sooner than expected. In his career, all with the Mavs, none of his injuries debilitated his athleticism or strength to push left on the court.

When it comes to Nowitzki, he is more efficient driving left than moving the ball right, and his shooting percentage is solid on the left side. If he desires to heal the wounds of postseason flaws and treasure the celebration of winning a title, then he needs to direct the Mavs in the biggest happenstance of his lifetime. Pressured to win it all or either worsen the criticism, it's a notion that it would be a miserable travesty in Dirk's elusive NBA career if he is devoid of a championship after having his best season.

As in the case with all players, particularly the stars of the sport, winning cures everything for Nowitzki, too.

For Nowitzki, a Championship Cures Everything

He's accustomed to the heart of Texas and the most fascinating locale in the Lone Star State, from the stereotypes of cowboys to the prairies to the Western lifestyle. There's nothing surprising about the latest development in Dirk Nowitzki's scorching postseason run and his sensational performance to dominate of late.

If Nowitzki wins his first NBA championship in a town where the zesty Texans haven't witnessed much triumph but heartaches with dreary collapses by major professional franchises in the Dallas/Fort Worth region and doesn't teeter in the deepest point of the postseason, he won't be ridiculed and will be entitled to be depicted as one of the shooters and greatest NBA player all-time. Nowitzki can hit an array of shots that charms the believers and his star-studded shooting normally puts fear on the minds of the opposing opponents, including his mental ability to manipulate the mood of an unpredictable postseason with ills and inspiration.

But what he cannot accomplish, during his slightly dazzling career, is lead the Dallas Mavericks to an NBA championship, where he usually stumbles and turns stagnant. Just once, as he is on a mission to win his first title and quiet down the critics, Nowitzki is nearing another shot at redeeming himself after he couldn't pilot the Mavs in the 2006 NBA Finals. By now, nobody is pondering the rematch of a dream match up between the Celtics vs. Lakers or the Lakers vs. Heat or even Thunder vs. Bulls. It would be an insult, not to mention that Nowitzki is the hottest player in the postseason, to discredit and ignore the Mavericks when the team owns a 3-0 lead over the defending champs in the semifinals.

And with apologies to L.A., for all the chatter that the defending champs would three-peat, for all the suggestions that no longer exist after watching the horror as a series suddenly fades in the demise of the Lakers, it turns out Dallas is the relentless megastars everybody insulted and never imagined putting the Lakers three-peat run in jeopardy. It's not unheard of, even if he's one of the best players, to have a horrible series. But when he continues to unravel each season in the postseason or NBA Finals, then it becomes a frequent pattern for a player who could never prevail at the finish of a competitive journey.


That would, well, be Nowitzki. As a seven-footer with mammoth size, he takes advantage by his capabilities to hurl his perilous three-pointers and convert on his long range buckets. Look at how nobody can hinder Nowitzki from hitting an array of shots to surge with unstoppable shooting, but he is bound to cool down by the next series and weaken as competition becomes deeper and more intense. His arsenal of destructive shooting declines at the worst possible time every season, when he is normally in groove before losing his swagger.

A person can admire his ambition, just as a person can understand that his hottest streak won't last. It appears that he might have the best turnaround and step-back jumper in the game, but he's not a reliable performer in the NBA. Given his previous history, he is known for diminishing greatly after the Mavs were upset by Golden State in the first round of the postseason and heartbroken by the Heat in the Finals, the moment Nowitzki should have won his first ring. In other words, all of this could be a fluke.

And all people, by now, are familiar with this pattern for a team having a puzzled identity in the past, giving owner Mark Cuban reason to whine and have his infantile hissy fit when he rips the officials incensed over poor calls. For sure, after averaging 21 points per game in 11 consecutive seasons, he is a future Hall of Famer. To end the night, Nowitzki posted 32 points with another effective 12 of 19 shooting night that propelled the Mavs to a 98-92 win over the fallen Lakers and secured a surprising 3-0 lead in the series. There's no doubt that Nowitzki is the greatest player of all-time for one franchise, but he is an underappreciated megastar because he never wins the huge games when the stakes are higher.

Do whatever you please, but when you double team or crowd him, he still hits a turnaround jumper. Do whatever you please, but when you put a hand in his face, he makes almost every shot. The question now is whether or not he is championship material??