Mavericks Dispose of Heat In 6, Win First TitleJune 18, 2009, Dallas, TX - After the disaster that was the
Jason Kidd trade, nobody expected the Mavericks to win a title with their current core. A year later, Kidd is retired and the Mavs have surprised everybody.
Having the best record in the Western Conference during the regular season, the Mavericks easily made it to the finals, sweeping the Clippers, beating Utah in 5 and finally knocking out
Steve Nash and the Suns in 6. The Heat however, had a Cinderella run to the Finals, upsetting both the Bulls and the Hawks in 6 games, then knocking out the heavily favored Celtics in 7.
Unlike these teams last Finals meeting, the Heat could not overcome a 2-0 series deficit. The series opening in Dallas,
Dirk Nowitzki destroyed the Heat's defense in 103-88 and 107-95 wins.
When the series shifted back to Miami, the Heat managed to even the series with a pair of narrow wins. However, this time, the Mavericks refused to go down 3-2, and blew out the Heat on their home floor 101-78. Returning to Dallas for Game 6, Dirk's 39 propelled his team to a 102-93 victory, giving the Mavericks their first NBA title.
Dirk Nowitzki won the Finals MVP award. He averaged 33.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Dwyane Wade averaged 25.2 and 7.7 assists in the losing cause.
"Its always disappointing to lose a playoff series, but Dirk [Nowitzki] and the Mavs... they earned it. I really wanted to meet President Obama, but oh well, we'll get them next year," commented Wade on the loss.
The Dallas Mavericks will receive their rings and begin their title defense against the Utah Jazz on October 29, 2009.
Final Game Scores:Game 1: Miami 88,
Dallas 103Game 2: Miami 85,
Dallas 107Game 3: Dallas 88,
Miami 89Game 4: Dallas 90,
Miami 94Game 5: Dallas 101, Miami 78
Game 6: Miami 93,
Dallas 102Mavericks Win 4-2