- Jaren Jackson Jr. was recently watching Dirk Nowitzki’s highlights from the 2011 NBA Finals
- Jackson couldn’t believe some of the shots that Nowitzki hit
- Dirk won Finals MVP that year and caused one of the biggest upsets in NBA history
To say Jaren Jackson Jr. was impressed when he watched Dirk Nowitzki’s highlights from the 2011 NBA Finals, might be an understatement. Jackson was in complete awe of Nowitzki’s shot-making against the Miami Heat, as he watched the German put on a clinic on the big stage.
“Look, bro, he’s not even touching anything,” Jackson said.
Jaren Jackson Jr. was left speechless while watching highlights of Dirk Nowitzki's 2011 NBA title run with the Mavs 🎦🏀
(via @jarenjacksonjr/ IG)pic.twitter.com/1K1itv3ls4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 27, 2023
Jackson was lost for words at times watching those highlights, and I don’t blame him. Dirk was simply spectacular in that entire 2011 postseason, but he seemingly took his game up another notch in those Finals.
Nowitzki averaged 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in the series as the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world to win in six games. The Heat, led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were overwhelming favorites, but Nowitzki outplayed all of them and won Finals MVP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A1kAqYgXv8
Dirk Nowitzki’s Magical 2011 Playoff Run
I don’t think there has ever been a single playoff run that completely changed the narrative around a player, but 2011 did that for Dirk. Prior to it, he was seen as a bit of a playoff choker, but he was so great in 2011, that all of that got brushed aside.
After beating the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, Dirk and the Mavs faced the two-time defending champions in the Los Angeles Lakers. It was supposed to be as far as they’d go, but the Mavericks shockingly swept Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, with Dirk leading the way.
That set up a clash with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Finals. Nowitzki laid down the early marker with 48 points in Game 1, and he had another 40-point outing in Game 4 to give the Mavericks a 3-1 lead. They closed out the Thunder in Game 5 to get to the NBA Finals, where they pulled off the upset of all upsets.
Nowitzki went 12-3 against six NBA top 75 players in this 2011 run, getting the better of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kobe Bryant.
He ended the playoffs with averages of 27.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. It was just a magical run and cemented his status as one of the all-time greats.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Would Be Hoping To Go On A Similar Run
Jackson might now have dreams of leading the Memphis Grizzlies on an incredible run of his own. The 24-year-old has taken huge strides in his relatively short NBA career, but he is still some ways away, though, from being capable of those kinds of heroics.
In fact, he and the Grizzlies need to find a way to bounce back, as things did go horribly wrong for them in the 2023 playoffs. They were the second seed in the West but were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round. They lost Game 6 by 40 points, and it was an absolute embarrassment.
It can be difficult to recover from such losses, but Jackson can take inspiration from Nowitzki. Dirk had his fair share of gut-wrenching postseason failures, but fought through them and eventually got over the line.
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