LeBron James was well aware that the Miami Heat had all the advantage when they faced the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Finals. He knew that if he did what he was supposed to do, he would finally win a championship for the first time in his career.
However, that wasn’t the case at the time.
Advertisement
Despite having superstar teammates in Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James still failed to beat the older Mavs team. Instead of a lopsided series in favor of the Heat, Dallas outplayed Miami’s big three and closed the series out in six games.
As he looked back at it, James acknowledged his mistake. He came clean about failing to meet what was expected of him as the leader of the team.
“I definitely didn’t play up to the potential I knew I was capable of playing at, so you could make any assessment — I froze, I didn’t show up, I was late for my own funeral [laughs],” James told ESPN in 2013. “You can make your own assessment. I can’t argue with nothing.”
Advertisement
Dirk thinks it wasn’t about LeBron
Apart from his obviously underwhelming performances, James’ numbers also proved that he wasn’t himself in that series. In six games against the Mavs, he averaged 17.8 points per game. It was a significant drop from his series-high 25.8 points per outing in the conference finals against the Chicago Bulls.
Even though it has become apparent that LeBron didn’t do enough to help the Heat win, Dirk Nowitzki believed that the Mavs’ success that year wasn’t just about James’ struggles. Instead, Nowitzki was certain they got a little bit lucky in that series.
Advertisement
Nowitzki understood that the Mavs were underdogs in the 2011 Finals as far as star power goes. For him, they were just fortunate to face the Heat when the big three were still developing their synergy as a unit.
“It was tough,” Dirk once reflected.
“We had a good run there through the Western Conference, but that was a different beast. I always say we got a little lucky, you know? We saw them in Year one where they’re just gotten together and I think they were not quite sure yet. Is LeBron taking over? Is Wade taking over? Is Bosh taking the big shots? I think they were still working around some of the holes to fill and those roles. And after that, they started winning. They won two championships, went to the Finals four times in a row,” Nowitzki explained.
Advertisement
“I think we’re a little fortunate we caught them on the early side before they really figured it out,” he added.
James and the Heat bounced back stronger
Knowing James and his leadership qualities, it was no surprise that the Heat was able to bounce back from their upset Finals loss to the Mavs. The following season, what Nowitzki was talking about finally happened. James and the Heat finally found their chemistry.
Advertisement
As many have expected, the Heat made it back to the Finals. This time, they crossed paths with a younger team in the Oklahoma City Thunder. With LeBron leading the charge, the Heat dominated the Thunder and closed the series out in five games, bringing the championship back to South Beach.
LeBron and the Heat picked up where they left off and won back-to-back titles.
At that point, James had finally redeemed himself.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.