"They was whooping us the second game": Tyson Chandler relieves the moment that sealed LeBron James' most devastating Finals defeat
Former Dallas Mavericks player Tyson Chandler has recounted the moment that led to LeBron James' most devastating NBA Finals defeat in 2011.
James will forever be remembered one of the greatest to play basketball, but he had to go through his fair share of humiliating experiences to get to where he's now. One primary example was when James and the Miami Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals.
LeBron James joined the Heat alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010. James got tired of losing, so he decided to form a super team to achieve his championship goals. While "The Heatles" won two titles, their first championship run was a disaster.
The 2011 NBA Finals matchup featured the Miami Heat, who were favorites to win the series, and the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat took the first game, which gave them a lot of momentum. Come Game 2, Miami dominated large swathes but blew their lead, and the Mavericks came roaring back to register a huge upset.
Chandler has now revealed how the Mavs were able to rally in Game 2. He said that it was Dwyane Wade who ignited Dallas' fire to launch their comeback. Apparently, Wade's disrespectful taunting towards the Mavericks bench in the fourth quarter spurred the team.
"They was whooping us the second game," Chandler said. "What turned the series was when D-Wade hit the three by our bench and held it up and then like walked by our whole bench. Like super disrepectful. But after that it was like, 'Alright, wake up.' That woke us up."
A look back at LeBron James' 2011 NBA Finals upset
In the 2010-11 NBA season, LeBron James did the unthinkable and left the Cleveland Cavaliers to join Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.
Before the start of the season, James promised Miami fans that they'd notch up multiple titles as long as the super team sticks together. While they did eventually deliver back-to-back titles, their first postseason run wasn't their proudest moment.
As expected, James and the Heat made a trip to the 2011 NBA Finals in their first season as a super team. Given all the promises James had made, it appeared that he would deliver and give Miami their first championship in five years. There was also the fact that their opponents, the Dallas Mavericks, weren't quite on par with the Heat's roster.
Unfortunately, chemistry issues and lackluster individual performances hindered the Heat. Looking back on the matchup, the Mavericks looked like a more solid team in terms of chemistry. Everyone played their roles effectively, which was something Miami struggled to do despite having three stars on their team.
Another major concern was LeBron James' overall performance. Leading up to the Finals, James was a beast on the court. Come the grandest stage of them all, though, it's as if "The King" lost his ability to play efficient basketball. As a result, the Miami Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in one of the biggest Finals upsets in NBA history.