J.J. Barea Says Dirk Nowitzki Hated Heat's LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh Big 3

Dirk Nowitzki is not the type of athlete who is going to spew negativity, start a war of words in the media or revisit the glory days with the same intensity as he lived them.

Fortunately, he's got J.J. Barea for that.

While appearing on The Old Man and the Three podcast with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, Barea admitted that Nowitzki "hated" LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh forming the Big Three with the Miami Heat and took it plenty personal during the 2011 NBA Finals.

"He hated Miami," Barea said. "He hated LeBron, Wade, Bosh. He's never going to say that, but he couldn't stand it."

The Mavericks won the Finals, 4-2, after the Heat won two of the first three games. But if it seemed like Dallas found a higher gear after Game 3, well, it did. And it appears to be because Nowitzki began to take the Big Three's style personally.

After the Big Three mocked Nowitzki's Game 4 performance, during which he poured in 21 points while ill, the veteran forward began to take over the series.

"When LeBron and Wade started making fun of him by coughing when he got a little sick ... that clip really hurt him," Barea said. "He will never say it, but he really saw the tape and that tape really hurt him. That gave him a little bit extra that he didn’t need, but it gave him a little extra to finish them off."

Whether Nowitzki ever admits to it—and a future Hall of Fame speech would seem like a fantastic time to do so—there's no denying how amazing a series the icon had.

Nowitzki averaged 26.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, winning Finals MVP, denying James his first ring and getting his revenge for Miami's 2006 title.

The lesson here: Don't make Dirk mad.