The summer of 2010 is widely regarded as the start of a new era in NBA history, where that off-season would change the landscape of the league for years to come.
Most notably, the formation of the Miami Heat‘s Big Three with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh looked like the start of a new dynasty right in front of our eyes.
Advertisement
At that time, player empowerment wasn’t a standard, day-to-day thing as it is today. The Heatless were pioneers of this kind of movement, which was intentionally created and planned years prior by its superstars.
Thanks to that, the Heat were seen as the definitive champions of the NBA for the next several years, where their enormous press conferences, player introductions, and statements took the internet by storm before the 2010-11 season even started.
However, before anybody even knew it, the Dallas Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, and Shawn Marion were on their tail from the very first day the team was assembled.
Advertisement
“They were doing victory tours before they even played one game,” said Terry. “You’ve never seen that type of energy from a team that hadn’t accomplished anything. That was all the motivation we all needed. If we happen to show up and play against them in the finals, we gon’ see who come out on top.”
The Mavs’ grueling path to the finals
Before they even matched up against the Heat, the Mavericks had a tough road ahead of them in a challenging Western Conference. Before they entered the playoffs, the Mavs were labeled as soft by the media due to their historical underachievements. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat the Portland Trail Blazers, led by Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Advertisement
In the second round, the Mavericks were matched up against the two-time defending champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol at the helm. Most analysts predicted a sweep from LA’s side, but the result would be the exact opposite as the Mavs dogwalked the Lakers out of the postseason.
In the Western Conference Finals, however, the Mavericks faced the NBA’s new, terrifying young generation – a multi-talented, hyper-athletic Oklahoma City Thunder team led by three future MVPs: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
The well-seasoned Mavericks would end up beating the upcoming Thunder squad in a highly competitive five-game series, with Nowitzki and the crew leading the way.
Advertisement
Thus began the ultimate showdown.
“They’re not taking this from us”
After a rigorous path to the highest stage in basketball, the Mavs got their wish in facing basketball’s most hated and talented team at the time. Coming into the finals, they knew the size of the giant that was in front of them, and Game 1 would certainly prove it.
“All we were looking for was intel and information to justify what we already knew,” said Terry.
Advertisement
“Keep ’em out of transition, take care of the basketball, slow down and make them play half court. But when you get out there you’re like, ‘Oh, s–t. You can’t turn the ball over.’ One dribble and they’re on the rim. They throwing alley oops, they jumpin’. I don’t know what LeBron’s vertical was at that time, and DWade. But athletically, there was nothing you could do to stop this group.”
After going down 1-0, the result was the same throughout most of Game 2. As the Mavs trailed by 15 entering the fourth quarter in Game 2, the switch was flipped.
“We locked in. In that moment, I think it was like five minutes left. Here they go again. They’re celebrating. I’m watching DWade throw his punches at Bron. They celebrating all in front of their bench. First of all, nobody likes a show-off. Second of all, they’re not taking this from us. So, let’s lock in and do what we gotta do and get out of here with a victory. The next five minutes was crazy.”
Advertisement
The Mavericks executed a staggering 22-5 run, capping the win with Dirk’s iconic left-handed layup, stealing home-court advantage. After the Heat came back and took Game 3, the Mavs locked in for the next three games, completely shutting down James and captured the franchise’s one and only title, led by Dirk and Terry’s iconic performances.
Nowitzki’s 26.0 points and 9.7 rebounds secured him the Finals MVP, while Terry followed up with 18.0 points and 3.2 assists.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.