Former Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki indicated that after the Mavs defeated the Miami Heat in 2011, he and the Mavericks celebrated by enjoying the club scene in Miami.
Nowitzki spoke about Saturday’s 10th anniversary of the Mavericks’ Game 6 win, though he noted (at the 30-second mark) the mixed feelings he felt after the team’s missed opportunity five years before.
We look back at the 10 year anniversary of the @dallasmavs NBA Championship with the 🐐 himself, Dirk Nowitzki, tonight on Chatter. #MFFL
⏰ 7:30 pm CT
📺 Bally Sports Southwest
🖥️ https://t.co/u9r2sMHmKe pic.twitter.com/l6g7njcKqT— Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) June 12, 2021
“To go there, win in that arena and celebrate there that night, went to a club together as a team and had an amazing time,” Nowitzki said.”So, that was, of course for me, definitely bittersweet after ’06.”
Nowitzki ended up being named 2011 Finals MVP, averaging 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists while helping the Mavericks win the final three games of the series.
The mixed emotions that Nowitzki felt were because he was on the other side in 2006, when the Mavericks held a 2-0 lead before a late Game 3 comeback changed to momentum of the series.
Heat legend Dwyane Wade was the player who led that 2006 push, which earned him Finals MVP accolades that year. Much like the Mavericks five years later, the clinching contest came on the road, silencing the home crowd amid the celebrations.
Both Nowitzki and Wade are on target to enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the next few years. The connection between the two players will always be those two finals, with each knowing the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
