Vindication: Terry, Nowitzki help Mavs to franchise's first NBA Championship

The city of Cleveland hasn’t had a championship team since 1964. Now, in a matter of speaking, they do. LeBron James is still ring-less, ending his nightmarish NBA Finals with another oddly ineffective and passive performance. He and his teammates didn’t do enough, while the Dallas Mavericks did everything they could, hustling after loose balls, going after offensive rebounds, hitting three-pointers, and playing with the enthusiasm and confidence of a champion.

For the first time in the series, Dirk Nowitzki was consistently struggling. The Mavericks star was 1-12 shooting in the first half. However, there was no reason to worry. His teammates had his back, making 20-31 field goals in the opening two quarters to take a slim lead at intermission. Jason Terry was on fire. DeShawn Stevenson was burying threes. Jason Kidd was making good decisions. Jose Juan Barea was as pesky as ever. Brian Cardinal was drawing charges. And Ian Mahinmi was extremely active.

This support exemplified the great difference between the two teams, speaking to the superiority of the Mavericks. Miami had no answer, and–as has been the case–little motivation when it mattered most. Dallas weathered a third-quarter Heat run and continuously exploited a poor defense in the fourth, coming up clutch while Miami’s stars, once again, did not.

There are many questions connected to the conclusion of this series, the popular ones relating to the Heat. What happened to them? Where was LeBron? Where was their fight? What happened to their defense? These can all be answered, but it is important to focus on the team that fueled these questions. Dallas, in beating Portland, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and now Miami, played with the pizzaz of a group that could sense a gaudy piece of jewelry was in their future. There was a reason Terry had the championship trophy tattooed on his bicep earlier this season. They knew it was their time.

This was certainly a long time coming for Nowitzki. The 7-foot forward has been one of the league’s best players, a one of a kind talent. He faced a very different Heat team in the 2006 NBA Finals, and has never watched the tape of that series finale. The nightmares were already formulated. It took him five years to avenge a deflating defeat, and this was worth the wait.

“I really still can’t believe it,” he said after.

Miami pulled the plug with two minutes remaining, and Dallas relished in a franchise first. Nowitzki drove inside for a layup in the closing minute, then thrust his fist into the air. Later he put his hands on his head, trying to process the amazing reality of the situation, and then hugged Terry, his lone teammate remaining from that 2006 squad, as the clock struck zero.

The Mavericks were victorious. Meanwhile, James walked the lonely walk through the tunnel, left to ponder another unsatisfying end. With that, the cities of Dallas and Cleveland had won the championship, similarly jubilant and basking in vindicating victory.

(Photo: REUTERS/Joe Skipper)