Dallas Mavericks Take the NBA Championship Title

Last night, the Dallas Mavericks claimed the NBA title and league bragging rights in a 105-95 win over LeBron James and the Maimi Heat.

The Game Six win marked the first NBA championship in Mavericks franchise history.

The last few weeks of NBA news have been filled with drama and controversy. “The LeBron James Reality Show,” as a Yahoo Sports columnist not-so-affectionately referred to this year’s playoff series, dominated mainstream media.

Then, Dallas coach Mark Cuban shocked America and declared a vow of media silence. “The quieter I got, the more we won. I didn’t want to break the karma,” Cuban told the New York Times.

But it certainly was more than just karma that carried the Mavericks through their title run. After falling behind early to a 20-11 Heat lead in the first quarter, Dallas battled back and went on their own 21-4 run to take the lead. The Mavericks entered halftime up by two points, and they never looked back.

The Heat shot decently from the field, but their nine turnovers and the 27 points that Dallas scored by capitalizing on those mistakes made it an uphill battle for the Heat offense. This scoring deficit was exacerbated by a pathetic showing at the free throw line for the Heat; they missed a total of 13 free throws. By the start of the fourth quarter, it was clear that the game was in the Mavericks’ hands.

Though the Heat boasted superstars such as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, the Mavericks worked as a team and solicited contributions for their entire roster.

Jason Terry shot 11-16 from the field, and league veteran Jason Kidd played 36 minutes with eight assists and only two turnovers, reported HuffPost Sports. J.J. Barea added 17 points and an additional five assists to the effort, and big man Tyson Chandler proved the old sports adage that although offense scores points, its defense that wins games.

Game 6 exemplified the idea of team triumph, a concept that seemed to have been forced out of the NBA in recent years at the hands of inflated egos and personal distractions. The Dallas Mavericks may not have been the youngest or most talked about team in the NBA, but their teamwork propelled them to the top.