25 Reasons We're Stoked for the Start of the 2011-12 NBA Season

Three weeks from today as I'm writing this on December 4th, the NBA season will start. We'll be featured games that include monumental match-ups between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and a re-match of last year's NBA Finals with a game between Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

The lockout might have impeded progress by cutting out the majority of the postseason, bit a huge chunk out of the period where offseason signings and trades could be made and cut out 16 games, but the fact is we have basketball when there was a large chance that there might not have been any after the players rejected a deal from the owners a few days prior to agreeing to a deal that would split the revenue at 51.5 to 49.5.

We'll be missing 16 games, but they're early-season games. We have an NBA season, and that's all that should matter as we could have been deprived of 25 things that draw us to watching any game on any day of the week between now and next October. With the owners and players agreeing, arguably the most exciting sport in the world is back and here to stay.

There are so many reasons as to why you should be stoked for an NBA season, and we narrowed it down to 25.

Check out what we should all be excited for and expecting to see within the next few months as we watch the NBA season that almost never was.

25. Stan Van Gundy's Frustration

You can't tell me that you missed seeing Stan Van Gundy fuming after every play that the Orlando Magic made.

While many will criticize Van Gundy for his coaching methods, you have to look at the facts and see just how successful he has been with the Magic franchise since joining the team as their head coach. He's been with the team since 2007 and has led them to four consecutive seasons of at least 52 wins with an NBA Finals appearance to show for it in 2009.

Van Gundy certainly has been a quality coach and has compiled a coaching record of 334-179 since beginning his career with the Miami Heat in 2003, but most of us just want him back on the sideline so we can hear him squawking about how Dwight Howard doesn't grab a rebound with two hands.

24. New Faces in New Places?

The 2011 free-agency class pales in comparison to the magnitude that the 2010 offseason had to offer.

With blockbuster deals involving the likes of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer all changing zip codes, the 2010 offseason was a time that will be remembered in triumph for some and infamy for others. Never before have so many superstars changed teams in such a short period of time, and it may never happen again.

The 2011 offseason may not offer any superstars, but they do offer a few significant pieces in the number of role players who will be ready for the taking.

With players like the Atlanta Hawks Jamal Crawford, the Denver Nuggets Nene Hilario and the New Orleans Hornets David West all possibly changing teams, there could very well be change at the top of each conference. These players will not only be used to fill in holes and eradicate flaws, but will also help influence a number of superstars in the 2012 offseason to possibly join their improved teams.

There won't be any superstars on the move, barring a trade, but do expect a few key players to be on the move in the coming weeks.

23. Greg Oden Being Somewhat Healthy

Greg Oden won't be ready for the start of the 2011-'12 regular season after receiving surgery over a year ago, but he will at least be featured throughout the campaign upon his return back to being healthy.

The Portland Trail Blazers are anticipating Oden's debut sometime in January after missing out on the entire 2010-'11 regular season due to another catastrophic knee injury that he needed surgery on. In four years, Oden has spent plenty more time in the emergency room than on the court as he has only played in 82 games since being drafted in 2008 as the No. 1 pick.

The Blazers are probably kicking themselves over missing out on Kevin Durant, but they have yet to give up hope and have recently given a qualifying offer to Oden that would have him making $9 million. It's a gutsy move by the Blazers considering that he's played one full season in four years, but it's a clear indication that there might be something to Oden that the team doesn't want to give up on.

In the short time that he did play, Oden did manage to display a tremendous defensive prowess with his shot-blocking being one of his key attributes as he managed to average over two blocks per during the 2009-'10 campaign when he played 21 games.

At 23 years old, Oden may not yet be a lost cause as the Blazers hope to make him their starting center of the future.

22. New and Renewed Rivalries

It was great to see the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry of the 1960s and1980s make a return with two NBA Finals matchups in three years. It's now even more enjoyable to see that quite a few rivalries have renewed as well as a few new ones.

The Miami Heat are pretty much rivaled with every team in the NBA at the moment, but they may have sparked a renewed one with the New York Knicks if they can secure Chris Paul or put together a solid all-around team as well as rekindling another old rivalry against the Chicago Bulls after the two met in a fierce conference finals matchup.

Among a few other rivalries that we have missed out on include the battles between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks in the middle of the Eastern Conference, a struggle to stop the Western Conference between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, and finally, what could be a new one featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies after trash talk and a fierce second-round series between the two could lead to an eventual rivalry being declared.

Rivalries are one of the best occurrences you can have in sports as it's then when teams truly play with a purpose and give their best effort in order to secure bragging rights over the rival.

With teams like the Bulls, Magic and Grizzlies looking toward redemption and the Lakers looking to take back their rightful place at the top of the West, we could be in store for a great number of heated rivalry games.

21. Mark Jackson's Rookie Season

A great move by the budding Golden State Warriors to bring in former New York and Indiana Pacers point guard Mark Jackson as their new coach to replace Don Nelson. After spending the past few years commentating, Jackson will be coaching an NBA team for the first time and will be taking on a young cast that features the likes of Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and Dorell Wright.

The chances of a new philosophy around this team is likely as well. When coached by Nelson, the team ran a style of play where the emphasis on offense was dominant while defense was put on back order. The Warriors would always be near the top of the league in points per game as a team, but they would usually find themselves near the top in points given up per game as well.

With a new coach joining the fray, the Warriors may just see a greater emphasis put on defense so that they can actually begin to compete with the elite teams of the league rather than wallowing in obscurity as they have done for over a decade.

Of course, Jackson will be sorely missed as a commentator since we no longer can hear a number of his memorable one-liners.

20. Kevin Harlan

While many will say that Marv Albert is their favorite commentator, Kevin Harlan is a personal favorite as he has been a part of some of the greatest calls in the history of the game while coming up with memorable one-liners that every gamer on NBA2K will say after a big shot.

Harlan is so emphatic about his calls that you can feel just how into the game he gets and the love he has for watching it. You can truly feel that Harlan loves his job as he's not like the cookie-cutter announcers that retain their emotions. Instead, he'll give credit where credit is due to both sides and make the big calls whenever a big play happens for either side.

With so many quality calls over his career, Harlan has been one of the most missed aspects of the NBA with the lockout cutting into the time.

19. The Improvement and Regression of Players

That's no Photoshop, Chris Bosh actually does look like this and was reported to having larger arms than teammate Udonis Haslem.

Bosh also added that he intends on being more physical and will attempt to reach a goal of averaging at least 10 rebounds per game while also stating that he'll play stints at center with no questions asked.

After seeing Bosh bulk up, we begin to wonder just how every NBA player handled themselves over the offseason. Communication between the players and their organization was cut off due to the lockout which meant that players were free to do with whatever they pleased.

Whether it was going overseas for a few games or playing in the many charity evens, a number of elite players kept themselves busy.

With the lockout cutting ties, it meant that players couldn't interact with team trainers and couldn't step onto the premises of their teams practice court. While players like Bosh took advantage of the situation, we can only wonder which players possibly let themselves go and could be showing up to the start of the regular season out of shape.

18. Deron Williams and a Full Season with the Nets

After spending 12 games in New Jersey at the end of the 2010-'11 campaign, it was obvious that everything Deron Williams touched would turn to gold, and that includes a team that only won 12 games two years ago.

Williams struggled with his shot in the short time he spent with New Jersey by averaging only 15 points per on 35 percent shooting from the field, but it was his facilitating of the usually stagnant Nets offense that took many by surprise. Deron had a 20-assist game before finishing up the season with a 13-assist per game average as the Nets starting point guard.

The Nets are looking to make a big splash in the near future as they have excess funds left over on account of the 2010 offseason that they struck out in. With role players to sign this offseason and Dwight Howard being a target, the team will be looking at every scenario as a means to keep Williams in New Jersey when he becomes a free agent next year.

At the moment, Williams joins a shoddy lineup with Brook Lopez being the only consistent scorer after averaging 21 points per game. Joining him will be power forward Kris Humphries, three-point specialist Anthony Morrow and rookie out of Providence Marshon Brooks as the team looks to improve, keep Williams, and eventually become a playoff team once again.

17. The Development of John Wall

With Blake Griffin taking up so much attention on account of his dynamic and dunk filled rookie season, many of us would forget that Washington Wizards rookie point guard John Wall would be having just as good a season.

Averaging 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals per after being taken with the first pick in the 2010 draft, Wall would exceed expectations and live up to the label of being a No. 1 pick after showing just how effective he was at running an offense and how dynamic of a player he could be as well.

His speed was his greatest attribute by far as he used it to outrun and elude defenders while also using it on defense by utilizing his quick hands and feet to initiate steals and start fast breaks.

While the Wizards might have finished the season with a disappointing 23-59 record, there's no doubt that they'll greatly improve as Wall and his young teammates all gain experience by having one year of playing time together. Wall would show the most improvement as he'll aim to cut down his turnovers while looking to find more effective ways to involve his teammates.

16. Tyreke Evans' Return

Aside from a miracle game-winning shot against Memphis, Sacramento Kings point guard Tyreke Evans' sophomore season was terribly disappointing on account of an injury that hampered him all season long and limited him to only playing in 57 games.

In a sophomore season where he still managed to average 18 points, six assists and five rebounds per, it pales in comparison to the historic year he had in his rookie season. By averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per in his first year, Evans become only the fourth rookie in NBA history to average such an amount with the other three players to complete the task being Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Michael Jordan as well as future Hall of Famer LeBron James.

Evans averaged 20 points, six assists and five boards per in his rookie season, would win Rookie of the Year honors and would give the Kings fan base something to finally be excited for. Joining a lineup with impressive young players in Jimmer Fredette, DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson and Marcus Thornton, the Kings may actually cause some damage in the West and could find themselves in the post season soon.

At 6'5", Evans is a modern day Magic Johnson as he utilizes his height to see over opposing defenders and see the court better than the usual point guard can. However, that may change now as the Kings could look towards starting Fredette at the point and then moving Evans to the two, which is still a position he can play.

Point guard or shooting guard, we can't wait to see how quality of a player Tyreke can truly be.

15. Steve Nash's Passes

To think, if the lockout had eradicated the NBA season, we would have no longer been subjected to the mastery of the point guard position that Steve Nash has created with the Phoenix Suns.

Leading the league in assists the past two seasons and in five of the past seven seasons, Nash has been one of the league's top facilitators as he's been the anchor to what could be an otherwise average Suns team.

While the loss of Amar'e Stoudemire has made this team into mediocre last year, take into account that Nash's key teammates would end up being Grant Hill and Marcin Gortat for a short time as he would still make the team .500.

Nash has been one of the league's most creative and most lethal point guard on account of how he can find teammates in places where no other player can. He's extremely quick with his decision making in a set offense and will find his teammates open under any circumstances on the outside or inside.

Whichever place Nash finds the most comfortable where his team will score, there's no doubt that he'll be able to find it.

14. Kyrie Irving's Big Shoes To Fill

The loss of LeBron James hurt. Losing to LeBron James by 28 points hurt worse. Losing to the Los Angeles Lakers by 55 points was quite the devastating blow as well. LeBron James then making fun of their situation via Twitter that same night of the loss wasn't making anyone feel better. Finishing the season 19-63 which would be good enough for the league's second-worst record wasn't putting any smiles on anyone's face either.

Plain and simple, the Cleveland Cavaliers were a train wreck of an organization last year. Not only did they manage embarrassing losses to LeBron James and the Heat twice as well as losing to the Lakers by 55 points, but they set a new standard for losing as they set an NBA record. They tied a sporting record for the most consecutive losses with 26—a streak that started on December 18th, of 2010, and ended on February 8th of 2011.

As compensation, the Cavs would be rewarded with the first pick and would take Duke University point guard Kyrie Irving with the first pick. Despite only playing in nine games at the college level, he has been lauded as an NBA-ready point guard that's capable of leading an offense as a facilitator and a scorer.

Irving will have an immense amount of pressure on him as he looks to save the Cavaliers franchise while also filling in the gigantic shoes that LeBron James left behind.

13. The Memphis Grizzlies: Championship Contenders?

So much for small market teams having a disadvantage, the Memphis Grizzlies gave a name for small-market teams everywhere as they rattled the NBA world by becoming only the fourth eighth-seed in NBA history to defeat a No. 1 seed in the San Antonio Spurs in only six games, which could have easily been five if not for a miracle three-pointer by Gary Neal.

They then followed that up with an even greater display of how lethal they can by pushing the Oklahoma City Thunder to the limit before eventually losing in seven games in one of the best series of the post season.

The series featured four overtime periods with three of those alone coming in their Game 4 133-123 loss where Zach Randolph's 34 points and Marc Gasol's 21 boards went for naught.

The Grizzlies may have come up short on their path to the NBA Finals, but this was still an impressive run that they managed to pull off without Rudy Gay who was injured for the last portion of the season and the entire postseason.

The team was supported by the likes of power forward Zach Randolph and center Marc Gasol dominating down low as their influence would help lead the squad. Couple those two with Tony Allen managing the perimeter with his elite defense and you have a winning formula that might have just gone on further if not for the loss of Gay.

Now that Rudy will be back, the Grizzlies can truly prove how quality of a team they are and rise up among the ranks of prestigious franchises such as the L.A. Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

12. Highly Anticipated Rookies

It's been a while since we've had a very deep draft class, and that all ended with the 2011 draft sporting a number of highly anticipated rookies set to hit the NBA scene.

Unlike most drafts where the top five picks will usually be the most viewed, there happens to be a number of players that were drafted later that might receive just as much, if not more attention. A number of question marks were taken early on as Duke's Kyrie Irving and Kentucky's Enes Kanter did not show too much of their overall game during their college careers.

While European stars like Jan Vesely and Jonas Valanciunas support a strong class, the likes of Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight, Jimmer Fredette and Klay Thompson also help strengthen this class on account of their superior play at the college level.

All four players showed us unbelievable play during their short tenure in the NCAA and are now ready to hit it off with their new teams as Walker joins Charlotte, Knight goes to Detroit, Fredette to Sacramento and Thompson to Golden State.

Among some other notable names include the Knicks Iman Shumpert, the Morris brothers going to Houston and Phoenix and Marshon Brooks going to New Jersey.

11. The New TNT Crew

As if there weren't big enough egos on the NBA on TNT's crew already, they'll soon be adding one of the largest inside the 7'1", 300-pound frame of five-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal joins an interesting cast of analyst Ernie Johnson, former Houston Rocket and two-time champion Kenny Smith and "Round mound of the rebound" in Charles Barkley. Former Sacramento King Chris Webber who joined the team recently will remain with NBATV and will occasionally make appearances on TNT.

Webber will be missed, but his replacement in O'Neal is going to make us quickly forget that. With Barkley always voicing his opinion on any type of subject he has a thought about, he will most likely be met with an equally large ego in Shaq.

The two have clashed on the court before, and this upcoming season may feature their best battles yet.

10. Remaining Years of the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs

While the thought of  losing the NBA for an entire season was depressing enough, it made us even more distraught when thinking of the players that we could possibly lose forever.

With the likes of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and Steve Nash all facing the prospect of a retirement within the near future, we could only wonder how well these players would respond to missing a full year of basketball and missing out on the experience of staying conditioned and in good shape.

If the lockout was to take place, elite teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics may return and no longer be upper-tier squads due to the Celtics possibly losing out on Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce while the Spurs lose out on Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

None of the players have planned any sort of retirement, but having these players sit out a year could mean the end of their careers due to having to miss a season and then needing extreme conditioning to get back into shape the next year.

Now that we have an NBA season, that's no longer something to worry about as it turns out that Tim Duncan and the Spurs will continue their reign at the top of the West while Garnett and company attempt to take back the East.

9. Blake Griffin's Second Year

All you need to do is watch the Los Angeles Clippers Blake Griffin and all 214 of his dunks from his rookie season to truly remember what you missed about watching the NBA.

Not only did Griffin average 22 points and 12 rebounds per game, win the Rookie of the Year, provide a bright future for the Clippers and help lead them to their best record since 2007, but he also took the NBA world by storm and gave fans a reason to start caring about Clippers basketball.

For the first time in a long time, the team now has high hopes to be a perennial playoff team with Griffin leading the forefront and bringing plenty of attention from fans and players alike.

8. Miami Heat Fast Breaks

As much as this team was criticized and the amount of hate that they received, the Miami Heat did at least know how to put on a show and make you momentarily forget about why exactly you dislike them in the first place.

The duo of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade knew how to get the fans in the seats and then out of them for several periods during the game. In particular, their fast breaks were some of the most electrifying and dynamic part of the game last year as the two hooked up for a number of memorable alley-oops.

For fans in South Florida, this has been the most excitement that they've seen out of a franchise since the Shaquille O'Neal days.

7. The Next Possible Big Three?

The NBA season doesn't start for another three weeks, and we're already getting into the spirit after the whirlwind of trade and signing rumors that have popped up since the lockout was officially ended.

There was speculation amongst minor players who are free agents, but the biggest story of the short offseason period has been the developments that have arisen between Chris Paul and the New York Knicks that have gotten interested in the NBA once again.

The ending of the lockout featured a flurry of rumors between Paul going to the Knicks and it seemed to be confirmed that this would actually happen as reports came in saying he demanded a trade out of New Orleans to New York. Those rumors were then shot down the next day as CP3 denied demanding the trade and that he's a Hornet for now.

Either way, Paul may be out of New Orleans very soon with teams like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers coveting the superstar point guard.

If the Knicks were to grab Paul, they would immediately become a contender as they now have a true point guard to play alongside pure scorers in Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.

However, while this may seem like a perfect fit, the Knicks would lack the funds to have a quality roster, and it would basically mean this team consistently relying on their big three to win games.

6. Chris Paul and Dwight Howard's Days Numbered?

Since 2004, we have been subjected to the Orlando Magic evolving from pretenders to contenders with center Dwight Howard leading the fore front. The 2004 No. 1 pick and 6'11" mammoth has transformed this once 21-61 team into a perennial championship contender that's constantly near the top of the Eastern Conference all thanks to the influence of Howard in the post.

The Magic have won 52 or more games over the past four seasons and have a finals' appearance to show for it with a berth in 2009 that would eventually end up in a five-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Since 2005, we have also been delighted with the quality play of New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul. Taken with the third pick, Paul has also contributed to an unbelievable improvement in the Hornets franchise as he turned the once mediocre team into a championship contender overnight. Paul led the team to the Southwest division title in 2008 as well as a franchise record 56 wins.

Now, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul's days may be numbered with the franchises that drafted them as they are both disgruntled with the lack of focus in the organizations ability to surround the stars with a suitable roster that could be championship caliber.

With the Hornets not making significant moves since the 56-win season and the Magic only regressing since their finals appearance, Paul and Howard may be on the way out as they both become free agents in 2012.

Depending on their seasons' pan out, they may very well be on different teams by the end of the 2011-'12 campaign.

5. Derrick Rose Defending His MVP

It didn't take long for Derrick Rose to begin receiving recognition for his work after being drafted with the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft by the Chicago Bulls.

In only his third year and at 22 years old, Rose set the precedent for the young players of the league by becoming the youngest player to ever take home an NBA MVP award. Rose would take home the prestigious honor after leading the Bulls to the NBA's best record at 62-20, a 21-game improvement from the year before, while averaging 25 points, eight assists and four boards per.

Rose would go on to lead the Bulls to the conference finals before bowing out in five games to the Miami Heat. Either way, Rose should a great deal of promise throughout the regular season and postseason as he'd put the team on his back for a number of stretches.

His ability to score around the rim is impeccable as he can utilize his athleticism and contort his body to find ways to get the two points that not many other players in the league can find.

Rose will now be looking towards defending his crown as the MVP  while also attempting to bring the Bulls back to the conference finals and then on to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998.

4. Kevin Durant's Title Journey

Derrick Rose isn't the NBA's only young elite performer as he will be greatly challenged by Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant, who will only be 23 years old with four years of experience.

From the way he plays, you would never guess that Durant has spent so little time in the league especially after you notice just how prolific and dangerous he made this Thunder team out to be. After a dismal start to the franchise, Durant has improved the teams record year by year and would most recently lead the team to a 55-27 record.

The Thunder would play some decent ball in the postseason with series wins over the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies but would eventually fall to the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Perhaps, the most disturbing fact dealing with the series is that the Thunder had a lead in the fourth quarter of every loss before succumbing in the final seconds.

Durant will now be on mission to prove the Thunder's worth as well as his. He was lauded as one of the NBA's top players as well as one of its most clutch and is no doubt peeved by how he and the team allow an opportunity to slip away to make it to their first NBA Finals since 1996.

Looking to defend his scoring crown for the third year, Durant will be leading possibly the best Thunder team yet to what is sure to be another deep post season run.

3. Kobe in the 4th Quarter

You can hate all you want, but you still have to give credit where credit is due when declaring that Kobe Bryant is a clutch player.

No matter how many stats dealing with his percentage in the final minutes, there's no doubt that nearly every team in the league would love to have Bryant as their closer. There haven't been many like him in the league's history, and he's proven to us time and time again that he's arguably the NBA's best closer.

Bryant has become notorious for being a famed closer, hitting near impossible shots and leading his team when no one else can seem to make a stop on defense or hit a shot on offense.

It's tough to put this on the list because we understand that the Los Angeles Lakers fanbase misses this, but the league's other 29 teams were probably relieved that they didn't have to deal with 16 games.

2. LeBron James' Chance at Redemption

The popularity of LeBron James fluctuated all year in accordance to how he performed. When he was having a stretch of off games where he couldn't close out, the media would berate him and wonder just what the problem was.

Then he'd have an unbelievable stretch of games where he'd show up in the final minutes of just about every game for a month which would be met with an astounding amount of approval from those that had previously claimed James wasn't reliable.

Then, James would come back down to earth as a player who couldn't show up in the clutch, and the media would once again lambaste him for not showing up in the final moments even though they had just seen him do only a few weeks prior.

If you couldn't figure it out, that's a representation of how James' first year as a member of the Miami Heat went. He was criticized throughout the regular season for not being able to come up big in the regular season but would then make up for it with dominant performances in the postseason against the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls.

In the NBA Finals, James reverted back to the player he was in the regular season and then some by averaging 17 points per game which was 10 points per less than he averaged in the first 82 games.

Sure to be met with plenty of criticism throughout the 2011-'12 season, James will now have a second chance to prove his doubters wrong by winning an NBA title with the team that he left Cleveland and turned down offers from New York, New Jersey and Chicago for.

1. Dallas Mavericks Title Defense

For years, the Dallas Mavericks were scrutinized for their lack of quality play in the postseason.

The team that had 10 consecutive seasons of winning at least 50 games only to come away with one NBA Finals appearance that would end in a loss to the Miami Heat. With stars Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry climbing the ladder towards retirement, many believed that the Mavericks wouldn't have many more chances to secure a title.

The Mavs had another solid campaign by finishing 57-25 which would be good enough for second place in the Southwest division. They immediately faced upset talk as they were set to take on the LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland Trail Blazers. Even with a miraculous performance by Brandon Roy, the Mavs would come away with a series victory in six games.

It only got easier from there for the Mavericks as they would sweep the defending two-time champion Los Angeles Lakers with a win by nearly 40 points in the clincher. They would then show their resilience by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the conference finals.

Despite Dallas losing a home game and being down in the fourth quarter in every game, the Mavs would stage a series of comebacks to beat a young Thunder team.

They would then face off with the Miami Heat for a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals. It appeared that they were on their way for another loss after losing the first game in Miami and then facing a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. However, they would stage an unbelievable comeback to steal game two and head to Dallas with the series tied.

Once again, Miami struck first with a two-point win in Game 3. From that point on, it was all Dallas as they would shut down LeBron James and force the Heat into a two-man game. The Mavericks would win the next three games with a clincher in Game 6 by way of a nine-point victory with Nowitzki taking home finals MVP honors.

With teams like the Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder all looking to make a significant push towards the finals, the Mavericks will find the road to defending their crown plenty more difficult than it was the previous year.