June 12, 2011. Game 6 of the NBA Finals 2011 between Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. The Heat have home court advantage. After an up and down series, with Miami winning games 1 and 3, then Dallas winning games 2, 4, 5, and eventually game 6, this was one of the most thrilling NBA finals that fans have gone witness to in a long time.The basketball action was almost overshadowed by the off-court drama - there was the "coughing" incident that involved Wade and James at Nowitzki's expense, the amount of criticism on James about his inability to perform during the clutch moments of the ball game, and the superhuman abilities of Dirk Nowitzki that has made everyone believe in the Dallas' bandwagon that indeed "The Time is NOW".
With only about 3 minutes left in the ball game for Game 6, the Miami Heat was a hot mess on the court. Turnovers here and there, forced shots, and paralyzed defense. Even the fans of Miami knew the season was over for their team as many had left the American Airlines Arena even before the final buzzer sounded.
Dallas Maverick's lead superstar Dirk Nowitzki can finally add "NBA champion" to his resume. And so will Jason Kidd. At some point, the victory celebration got emotional as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd has combined 30 years (13 and 17 years, respectively) of wait before they were able to raise the trophy. And for all that, it was a deserving win for the most recent NBA champs. The Finals MVP award for Dirk was only the icing on the cake. For anyone who appreciates a down-to-earth, humble, and resilient player (and team), this is one of the most satisfying NBA championships in a long while.
