"Don't want to p*ss him off"- Jason Kidd hilariously picks 2011 Mavs over Luka Doncic and Co. citing neighbor Dirk Nowitzki
Luka Doncic is quickly becoming one of the best players in Dallas Mavericks franchise history. However, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd had a humorous answer when asked to choose between this Doncic-led squad and the 2011 championship-winning Mavericks.
As per Mavericks beat writer Mike Curtis, Kidd picked the 2011 team, explaining that there was a personal angle behind this bias.
“I haven’t really thought about that, but I’m going to say the 2011 team was better because I was on it & Dirk is my neighbor so I don’t want to piss him off,” Kidd said.
Kidd also said the 2011 squad was older than the current team. The veteran-heavy roster was led by NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki.
The 2024 Mavericks are on the doorstep of the NBA FInals. Meanwhile the 2011 team beat the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in a stunning upset.
The 2011 Dallas Mavs pulled off one of greatest upsets in NBA history
The Luka Doncic-led team still has some way to go before surpassing the 2011 Dallas Mavericks' legacy. Nowitzki and his squad pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.
The Mavs won the series in six games. Everyone expected the Heat superteam led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to lift the championship in their first season together.
The Mavs came back from 2-1 down to win the series 4-2. Dallas even overcame Miami’s home court advantage. Nowtizki was named Finals MVP.
Dallas were the only team to break through the Western Conference dominance of LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs between 1999-2011. Thy reached the NBA Finals twice in this period, in 2006 and 2011. All other instances in the 13 season duration featured either Spurs or Lakers in the Championship series.
It was a thrilling series. All six games were decided by ten points or less. Three of those games were decided by a single possession.
Nowtizki averaged 26.0 points per game in the series. He outdueled James, who averaged just 17.8 ppg including an eight-point performance in Game 1. Wade was the flag bearer for the Heat with 26.5 ppg in the losing effort.
Nowitzki was supported by 18.0 ppg from Jason Terry. Terry had 27 points to lead Dallas in the closeout Game 6. Veterans JJ Barea, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion also made huge contributions as role players.
Nowitzki led the Mavericks in scoring in five of the six games. He had a series-high 34 points in a 88-86 loss in Game 3.
It was the first and only championship for Nowitzki. He led the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals before losing to Wade and the Miami Heat. The Mavs have not been back to the Finals since the win in 2011.