The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat 105-95 in Game 6 Sunday night for the franchise’s first NBA Championship. It was a long time coming for many members of the veteran squad like Jason Terry (age 33), Jason Kidd (38), Dirk Nowitzki (32), Shawn Marion (33) and Peja Stojakovic (34). Dallas won four the series’ last five games.
NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki had 21 points but Jason Terry led the Mavericks with 27 points in Game 6. They are the two remaining players on Dallas that lost to Miami in the 2006 Finals. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle joined a list of 11 who have won NBA titles as a player and a head coach.
A season that began with celebration in Miami with the signings of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh ended in disappointment as Dallas hoisted the trophy. James scored 21 points, Bosh had 18 and Wade had 17. But they didn’t have a supporting cast like Dallas. In the Mavericks’ four wins, Nowitzki’s teammates combined for more than 75 points and shot over 52% from the field.
It’s another year of waiting for James, who fell short for the second time in the NBA Finals. San Antonio won in Cleveland in 2007. Nowitzki sealed the Game 6 win on a jumper with 2:27 left to put Dallas up 99-89 and some Miami fans began to leave. Nowtizki shot just 9 of 27, including 1 for 12 in the first half, but Terry picked up the slack on 8-of-10 shooting. James didn’t score in the second half until he hit a layup with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter.
Jason Kidd had nine points and eight assists after losing in his previous two Finals trips with the New Jersey Nets. Dallas topped the 100-point mark for the second straight game and shot 50% from the field with 11 3-pointers.