Dirk Nowitzki might not always be considered the greatest European player in NBA history, but he’ll always be credited as the first one to break through into superstardom with his 21-year stint on the Dallas Mavericks. Winning the 2011 NBA Championship over a hyped-up Miami Heat with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh solidified his legacy, but Nowitzki never viewed himself as an underdog.
Mavericks’ teammate Brendan Haywood shared a story on the ‘Run Your Race’ podcast about Nowitzki’s ‘quiet’ confidence, as he trash-talked the Heat with an iconic line to his teammates.
“Dirk had quiet confidence. He would say it to us, he just didn’t feel like they had to say it to the world. He would say certain little things and I’d be like, ‘Oo, I didn’t know he like that.'”
“Some guys gotta get out there and beat their chest like KG had to announce himself, and that’s no disrespect. Dirk didn’t feel that way but he’d say something else behind the scenes. He’d just be like, ‘We are taking on The Big 3, they ain’t no real Big 3. If they really wanted to create Big 3, they would’ve come and got me.'”
Dirk’s ‘quiet confidence’ during the 2011 Finals: “We taking on The Big 3, they ain’t no real Big 3. If they really wanted to create Big 3, they would’ve came and got me.”
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Given what transpired between Nowitzki and the Heat’s Big 3, it’s safe to say his statement ages about as well as anything could have. Dirk led the Mavericks to the 2011 Championship by defeating the Heat 4-2 in the NBA Finals. The Mavericks came back from down 2-1 to win three straight games and give LeBron James the biggest black mark of his career.
There was pre-existing history between Nowitzki and the Heat, as the Heat defeated Dirk’s Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals under circumstances that many contest to this day. It was a sweet moment for the Mavs and Nowitzki to get their revenge in the 2011 Finals on arguably the biggest stage possible.
The situation worsened during the 2011 Finals when Nowitzki caught the flu and was visibly unwell at the start of the series, prompting LeBron, Wade, and Bosh to mock his illness. Dirk was forcefully shown the video by his teammates to fuel his hunger for the win, something which worked as Nowitzki later opened up on how their disrespect gave him additional motivation.
“We saw it after Game 5, but I didn’t see it. Honestly, I felt it was a little disrespectful,” Nowitzki said. “[But] it didn’t add to my motivation if that makes sense. I’m one game away from achieving my dreams, one I’ve chased 12 years into the league.”
Dirk averaged 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds in the 2011 Finals, outplaying the big three on his own and winning his only championship and Finals MVP.
The Mavericks have never climbed the mountaintop again, though they came close last season when they made the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history before losing 4-1 to the Boston Celtics.
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