Winning the Right Way.

“This is an old bunch. We don’t run fast or jump high. These guys had each other’s backs. We played the right way. We trusted the pass. This is a phenomenal thing for the city of Dallas.” - Rick Carlisle

In the NBA, experience and trust prevail over everything. Teamwork is the key to success and individual talent is overrated. It can only take a team so far. It takes the right blend of talent and personalities filling specific roles to create a championship team. I've always believed that experience is the key to winning and I had been riding the veteran teams (Lakers, Celtics, Spurs) all season. As the Playoffs progressed and all these teams were being eliminated by the young, up-and-coming teams of the league, I found myself shamefully rooting for the Miami Heat. I won't admit to being a bandwagon fan because I truly hate the Heat. I have no respect for LeBron James and his massive ego and it was a shame to see him turn likable guys like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh into villains of the league. However, I couldn't help but cheer for great basketball and the Miami Heat were doing just that in the first three rounds of the Playoffs. It certainly seemed like these guys would change the blueprint of creating a dynasty in the NBA, but that's where I forgot about the history of the game.

Besides Magic Johnson, everyone has to pay their dues before they win a ring. It took Mike 7 years to finally beat the Pistons and win his first. I can still vividly remember when I was 6 years old watching Kobe Bryant as a rookie hoist three straight air balls in overtime of an elimination game in Utah. The fans erupted screaming, "Airball!" after every miss. Kobe didn't win his first ring until his fourth season and if you want to discredit the Shaq rings, then it took Kobe 12 years to be the leader of a championship team. Everyone has to pay their dues even the best. Even the first super team of the new era, the Boston Celtics of 2008, had to lose individually before winning together. Kevin Garnett made it out of the first round only once on the T-Wolves and Ray Allen only had four career Playoff appearances and Paul Pierce as well. All three of them advancing as far as the Conference Finals only once.

As the Mavericks finished off the Heat last night and the celebration began, I couldn't help but notice the genuine happiness and the look of relief on each player's face. Years of disappointment and failures lifted off their shoulders. Each players' experience in the league had contributed to making this team work. Each one of the players besides Rodrigue Beaubois, Dominique Jones, and Corey Brewer have had long journeys to get to this championship plateau.The stories very intriguing to me and I can't help but reflect on each players' road to being a champion. 

Of course when a team wins a title, the accolades usually go to the players, but I'll start with the mind that put this all together and the man who deserves a ton of credit for his minor adjustments in the Finals that proved game-changing, coach Rick Carlisle. As a head coach, I felt like Rick Carlisle always got the bitter end of the stick. When he was the Pistons coach, he was fired right before the team reached its peak and he was never given full credit for leading a team with its main attraction being Ben Wallace and its  two best scorers being Mehmet Okur and Chauncey Billups to two division titles. Carlisle moved onto the Indiana Pacers and in his first season, led the Pacers to the NBA's best regular-season record, but they would lose to Larry Brown and the Pistons in the Conference Finals thanks to Reggie Miller's legs. The following season, Carlisle had a team that was a definite title contender, but the Malice in the Palace changed all that. A couple mediocre seasons after that in Indiana left Carlisle working for ESPN for a year. Carlisle would be hired by the Mavs in 2008 and the coach and team shared the same characteristic, greatness always underachieving. His first two seasons were disappointments in the Playoffs, losing in the first round, but this was the season where it all came together, finally. The first round = perseverance. The second round = Peja Stojakovic. The Conference Finals = Shawn Marion & Dirk Nowitzki. The Finals = Jason Terry, J.J. Barea, & the zone defense. Everything was coached to perfection, match-ups were set correctly (Jason Kidd on D-Wade), rotations were excellent (J.J. Barea for DeShawn Stevenson), positioning was flawless (move Dirk from low post to high post), every detail was important and executed correctly. Rick Carlisle was the mastermind behind the success and after years of being looked over and all the Jim Carey jokes, he finally gets the credit he deserves for being a great coach in this league.

Now to the players. The Mavericks winning this championship was an entire team effort. Everyone contributed at some point in this run and I'll begin with the tough guys and the guy who couldn't play, Caron Butler. Butler was supposed to be a huge part of this team this year, Dirk's sidekick, but a torn patellar tendon in his right knee cost him the season. For "Tough Juice" it's been a struggle his whole career, but he wins where he began his career, in South Beach, and his injury this year may have actually been a turning point for the team because it allowed Shawn Marion to be in the starting lineup at small forward. Shawn Marion is another former Heat that always seems to be the best player on a team that gets unnoticed. In his tenure in Phoenix, the Matrix was a perennial all-star and stat-stuffer. 1 of only 5 players to be a part of the 1500 steals/1000 blocks club, Shawn Marion has always been a great player on the wrong team. His stats were exaggerated on the run-and-gun Suns, his tenure in Miami was forgettable, and I didn't even remember him being on the Raptors. The Matrix was a perfect fit for these Mavericks and his game was much needed. Always unorthodox, unselfish, and able to play any style of basketball, he brought defense, energy, and flip shots that were uncommon to the culture in Dallas.  

Now to the all important bench players, and I mean it with the utmost respect. Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal was a walking punchline for Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy in the Finals, but what he lacks in athleticism and skill he demonstrates with toughness, hard hard fouls, and an occasional three. A vagabond through out his career, he's always been resilient and he was always my favorite white Warrior in the mid 2000s (sorry Mike D and Troy). Ian Mahimmi hit that buzzer-beater to end the third last night, big shot, honestly. He was not phased by replacing Brendan Haywood. Brendan Haywood ---> looks like a Ninja Turtle, but he might be one of the best back-up centers in the league. Willing to come off the bench after starting his whole career, he is an ultimate team player.  DeShawn Stevenson another former Wizard, really impressed me with his defense, and hit timely threes in the first half. Compared to Michael Jordan coming out of high school,  he's been kind of a joke his entire career, but he really isn't too bad of a player. I am quite amazed that he and Soulja Boy have won their war against LeBron James and Jay-Z. Lastly, Peja Stojakovic. His career actually ended in 2004, but he returned for one round of the Playoffs this year. Peja was a part of those glorious series against the Lakers in the early 2000s which resulted in Playoff exits every year as he played on, in my opinion, the best team in my lifetime to never win a title. All those losses in the past were forgotten this year as Peja sunk the Lakers with three after three and played a big part in this year's championship run.

The next two guys are the x-factors, and the guys that I feel took away the "softeness" that defined the Mavericks and I'll begin with the one that got away...Tyson Chandler. I say that being a Thunder fan, and he was the perfect center for that team. The rescinded trade proved beneficial to the Mavs and Mark Cuban took a huge risk signing him, and it paid off immensely. Chandler looked like the all-star caliber center he was in 2007 and it was his interior defense that made it difficult for LeBron and D-Wade to drive the lane. The other guy, I absolutely hate, but he is magic, J.J. Barea. He lives the perfect life, he stands about 5 feet tall but plays with the heart of a giant. The man hits miraculous lay-ups and crazy floaters, and he's an absolute pest on both ends of the floor, but it's so effective. I want to break the guy's legs, but I can't help but appreciate the player he is and how he made the league and became a huge part of the Mavs. From being undrafted, to playing in Puerto Rico and the D-League, Barea has become quite the popular player now and he deserves all the recognition.

 The last three guys, are the heart and soul of the team. When you think of the Dallas Mavericks, you think, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki. For Jason Kidd it took 17 years to finally win a championship and the 3rd time was a charm. What impresses me the most about him is the way he's changed his game as he's aged. Kidd was never a great athlete, but he used to be a walking triple-double. He's continued to improve his jumper, still plays excellent defense, and remains a premiere point guard in the league. When he was traded back to Dallas for Devin Harris, I doubted the move because I thought J-Kidd had nothing left, but boy was I wrong. Losing in the past (New Jersey 2003 & 2004) never deterred him and he always maintained the same demeanor through out the years. On this team he was the ultimate leader and his underrated defense and huge threes led the way.  As for Dirk and JET, those two were the remaining guys from the 2006 team, and they took that defeat and grew from it. After years of losing in Atlanta, Jason Terry found a home in Dallas as one of the best sixth men in the league. He never demanded to be in the starting line-up and has always played in the best interest of the team. A future head coach in the NBA, JET was probably the best Maverick in the Finals, yes he was better than Dirk. For Dirk, what hasn't already been said about him? He is the best power forward in the NBA now, and he is definitely one of the 50 greatest players of all-time, of course I say this being an NBA child of the late 90s/early 2000s. The "soft" label can be thrown out the window and LeBron could really learn how to be a closer from this guy. All those 360 spins and one foot jumpers at the free-throw line have paid off for the German and he has finally validated his career. It sounds corny, but I'm really proud of him. Since losing in 2006 (That year I was a big fan of the Mavs and was ecstatic when he finally beat Tim Duncan) and after personally witnessing him crumble under the pressure of Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes in 2007, he's definitely grown a lot and changed my opinion of him as a player.

All the Mavericks have grown through out their career. All of them have lost in their careers, but they grew from their defeats. Each player sacrificed for each other,  took a part of their past, took a part of their skill, and put it together to create the perfect chemistry and win.      

As the Finals came to an end last night, the one veteran team that I had forgot about was the one that actually came through. A group of guys that most dismissed at this point of their careers; they played the game correctly with heart and veteran savvy and showed that there are absolutely no shortcuts when it comes to winning. Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard. The Miami Heat should learn from that. The Mavs played basketball I'm accustomed to watching and for at least one more season there will not be a monopolized league of super teams. For that I say thank you Dallas Mavericks, thank you Mark Cuban, and thank you Holger Geschwindner. The long journey is finally complete. Congratulations and respect.