2011 NBA Playoffs: 10 Craziest Moments from the Postseason
The Miami Heat will take on the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in Miami in Game 1 of the 2011 NBA Finals.
All the drama and the storylines from the previous Eastern and Western Conference matchups have culminated to one series to crown the 2011 NBA champions.
Throughout the playoffs, there have been several moments and events that have shaped the way series have finished, and how this Finals matchup came to be.
Here are 10 moments that have made the 2011 NBA Playoffs special:
10. LeBron James Closes Games
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LeBron James came to the Miami Heat with one goal in mind: to win a championship.
Now that he has reached the NBA Finals this season, James and the rest of the Heat just have to find a way to finish the job in order for James to hoist that beloved trophy.
Heading into the 2011 playoffs, James' ability to close games and to win the big one for his team were still in question considering his lack of championship success in Cleveland.
As it turns out, the 2011 playoffs have been a different story, with James putting daggers in the Boston Celtics at every opportune time, and with James hitting big shot after big shot to take down the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.
If James can find a way to lead the Miami Heat all the way to a title this season, he may finally join the club of gamers and winners—something that I was not sure he would ever be able to do.
9. Rick Carlisle Dubbing Dirk Nowitzki One of the 10 Greatest Players Ever
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In an interview with ESPN First Take, after the Dallas Mavericks upset the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Rick Carlisle perhaps took the praise for his players too far.
In the interview in Carlisle's obviously joyous state, he told a reporter that in his opinion Dirk Nowitzki is one of the 10 greatest players to ever play the game. He said he believed this because of his ability to carry his team and the uniqueness of his game.
While Nowitzki is without question a great player and the backbone of the Mavericks, being called one of the 10 greatest players of all time is high praise for a player still without an NBA title.
Nowitzki's career statistics may be right alongside the likes of legends such as Larry Bird, but the importance of a championship cannot be discounted. The same goes for every team sport; in order to be thought of as one of the elite you must be able to lead your team too that coveted top spot.
Nowitzki can obviously help his stock among the greats if the Mavericks can manage to contain the Heat's Big Three in the NBA Finals, but being mentioned among the greats is still a ways away for the sharp-shooting forward.
8. Dallas Mavericks Hit 20 Trifectas
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The Dallas Mavericks having a 3-0 series lead heading into the fourth game of their series with the Los Angeles Lakers was shocking enough. However, more shocking yet would be the sharp shooting of the Mavericks in Game 4.
The Mavericks would hit 20 three-pointers on their way to a 122-86 win to close the series with the Lakers. Highlighting that performance with nine threes was Jason Terry, who hit nine by himself.
As every three went in, the Lakers seemed to become more and more deflated. Whether it was Terry, Stojakovic or Nowitzki, the Mavericks were able to keep the floor spread and make the Lakers pay when they would collapse the paint on defense.
This three-point barrage left the Lakers in awe heading into Game 4.
7. Dunks with Authority
4 of 10Highlight reel dunks have seemed to a theme this postseason with major dunks coming from the likes of Taj Gibson, Kevin Durant, Darrell Arthur and 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
While dunks count for two points no matter how high you jump or how hard you throw it down, the dunks are a guarantee to fire up your team and the home crowd.
Whether it was Taj Gibson with an ultra-powerful posterization of Dwyane Wade, or Kevin Durant showing he can go around you or over you, gravity has been tested in the 2011 postseason with full force.
6. Los Angeles Lakers Lose Their Tempers
5 of 10As the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks began to swing further and further in the Mavericks' favor, the Lakers grew more and more frustrated.
The frustration began to break through in Game 3, as Ron Artest was ejected for a flagrant foul. The Mavericks would continue to take a physical beating in Game 4 as Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum were ejected in the fourth quarter of the Mavericks' 122-86 blowout victory.
The fouls were shocking; the lack of sportsmanship by the Lakers was even more so.
A historical franchise, the Lakers were expected to act like champions regardless of the final score, and they failed to play with any integrity as the waning minutes passed against the Mavericks.
5. Joakim Noah's Big Mouth
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With the message sent to Kobe Bryant by the NBA league office after his derogatory remark during a game still fresh in everyone's mind, Joakim Noah went ahead and did it again,
In the Chicago Bulls' Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Miami Heat, after heading to the bench, Noah hurled a homophobic slur at a fan in the stands.
Noah would be fined $50,000, while just a month before Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for the same type of situation.
While the lesser fine for Noah was shocking, the lack of judgment by Noah was more shocking.
With a tense issue fresh in everyone's minds from the Bryant incident in the not-so-distant past, Noah said the worst thing at the worst possible time.
Hopefully the rest of the players have learned a lesson after this incident.
4. Rajon Rondo Returns to Game After Dislocating Left Elbow
7 of 10In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo dislocated his left elbow while diving for a loose ball with Heat player Dwyane Wade.
While the injury to the Celtics point guard was a shock to hopeful Celtics fans, the return of Rondo later in the game was astounding.
With Rondo obviously favoring his left arm and not one hundred percent, the Celtics were able to use the return as motivation for a Game 3 victory.
Rondo's heroics will surely be remembered by Boston faithful and players alike.
3. The Mavericks Clear a 15-Point Deficit in the Fourth Quarter
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Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals was seemingly sewn up by Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they led by 15 points late in the fourth quarter.
However, someone failed to tell the Mavericks they were better off going home and coming back for Game 5.
The Mavericks would close regulation on a 17-2 run to force overtime and would eventually ride a 28-6 run to close their Game 4 comeback victory over the talented but inexperienced Thunder squad.
The victory, Dallas' fifth road victory in the playoffs, was surely a back-breaker for the Thunder as they would go on to lose Game 5 as well.
The amazing Game 4 comeback by the Mavericks was shocking without question as the hungry veteran Dirk Nowitzki searches for his first NBA title.
2. The Mavericks Sweep the Los Angeles Lakers
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The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2011 playoffs looking for their third consecutive NBA championship.
Phil Jackson was looking for his 12th NBA championship, and the fourth three-peat of his career.
The Dallas Mavericks were not concerned with any of these circumstances as they came out and beat the Lakers in four straight games.
Combine Dirk Nowitzki playing like a man possessed as he searches for that elusive first championship, with a newly dysfunctional Lakers team, and you have a recipe for disaster in Los Angeles.
A competitive series was definitely expected between these two perennial contenders in the Western Conference, but no one expected the decisive statement the Mavericks would make in only four games.
1. The Memphis Grizzlies Upset the Top Seed in the Western Conference
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Entering 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies had not captured a single playoff series victory in its franchise's history.
With that considered, a potentially quick series was anticipated for the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
However, the Grizzlies would rise to the occasion and dash any hopes of a Spurs championship in the first round.
Riding the hot hand of Zach Randolph in the post coupled with an athletic and stingy defensive team, the Grizzlies managed to slow down the aging Spurs and advance to the Western Conference quarterfinals to face, and eventually lose to, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Given this series victory, Memphis fans and players got a taste for victory in the playoffs that cannot be underestimated as this team looks to build on that surprising success in the coming years.
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