As a life-long Spurs fan, I'm obligated to hate the Dallas Mavericks. And going into these 2011 NBA playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks were the most predictable team in the NBA when the playoffs come around. High expectations, good overall record, little results. And after game four of their first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, where the Mavs coughed up a 23-point second half lead at the Rose Garden, it was looking like the same story all over again.

But after that debacle in Portland, the Mavs we knew for the past decade suddenly transformed into a completely different animal. They responded by winning the next two games against the Blazers, blowing by the 2-time defending champion Lakers in a sweep, disposing the Thunder in five games in the Western Conference Finals, and then improbably, but at this point not surprising, defeating the Miami Heat in six games to win their first NBA championship.



It was the ultimate transformation for almost every key player on the Mavs team. Let's start with Dirk Nowitzki, who has been a premier superstar in this league for over five or six years now. He was always able to score in the playoffs, but when it came to crunch time, he would tend to shy away from the spotlight and defer to other teammates. That all changed this year. Dirk was as clutch as any player in the history of the NBA in this year's playoffs. He hit big shot after big shot until you almost knew what was going to happen, yet no defense seemed to have an answer for him. He wanted the spotlight this time around, and he not only seized it, but embraced it all the way to the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

And how about Jason Terry? He had always been a great knockdown shooter during his career, but never seemed to be able to hit the clutch shots when it mattered and would get cold from behind the arc at the worst possible times. That changed this year. He finally found the clutch gene in him that had eluded him so far in his career and was money at the end of games time after time this postseason.

And did Shawn Marion come out of 3-year hiatus? The player we saw play so well in Phoenix with Steve Nash had been underwhelming in the past few seasons, but turned it back on this postseason. But his much improved scoring was not even close to the best thing he did in the playoffs. That would be the lockdown defense Marion played all throughout the playoffs. Whether it was Kobe, Durant, or LeBron, Marion seemed like he was always creating havoc form the opposing team's offense. One of the best all-around defensive performances by player that I've seen in a long time.

It seemed seemed like quite a few people thought the days of Jason Kidd being an effective point guard were over. At the ripe age of 38, many people thought that he had to much mileage on him. Well he certainly proved many of his critics wrong this postseason. His leadership and smart decision-making as the Mavs' floor general were vital to the championship run we just saw. And when he needed to knock down shots, did he come through or what? The number of game sealing three pointers he made during these playoffs was unreal.

And lastly, how about the little guy J.J. Barea? After showing signs of greatness but also large lapses of inconsistency during his first few years in the league, he seemed to finally figure it out during these 2011 playoffs. Not only did he seem to constantly find ways to score and give the Mavs a boost when they needed it most, but he shot the ball with much better efficiency as well. He was a true difference maker that Dallas seemed to consistency lack in previous years during the playoffs.

And how about as whole how much of 180 degree change this team made? The Mavs used to be the team that would get out to a big lead and constantly cough it up. They were the poster child for coming close but not having the killer instinct to close it out. That all changed during these playoffs. Not only were they able to hit big time shots in late-game situations, but how many times did we see this team fall behind by double digits, only to come back and win the game? It happened against the Lakers, Thunder and Heat. The first time you might've thought it was an anomaly. But it got to the point where you kept thinking to yourselves, "It's happening again!" It was no coincidence anymore. This was one resilient team that would continue to fight until the buzzer sounded. And it showed through how many comebacks this team had. And remember when the Mavs used to be known for the obvious lack of defense? Well that's no longer the case folks. Time after time Dallas stepped up defensively and played some of the best shutdown defense during the postseason that I'd seen in a long time. Marion, Kidd, and Tyson Chandler especially were spectacular, shutting down superstar after superstar during these playoffs. It wasn't about superstars being off or taking bad shots. No. It was the Mavericks' much improved defense that stepped up to the challenge time after time.

I will still always hate the Mavericks no matter what. As a Spurs fan it's my duty. But I give credit where credit is due, and this year the Mavericks deserve all the credit in the world. This ain't your same old Mavericks folks....it's the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks.

-Shea Raftus
a.k.a BuckeyeinTexas
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