People call that Mavs championship a fluke...

[SpecialQue]

But what about the Thunder's lone finals appearance?

[Lebronxrings]

james harden

[navy]

Mavs championship was a fluke because Lebron bitched out and averaged like 17ppg.
Had the Mavs and Thunder switched years with their best squads, Thunder would have won in 2011 and Heat again in 2012 over the Mavs.

[Wade's Rings]

Mavs championship was a fluke because Lebron bitched out and averaged like 17ppg.
Had the Mavs and Thunder switched years with their best squads, Thunder would have won in 2011 and Heat again in 2012 over the Mavs.

Pretty much Summed it up.

[tpols]

Mavs championship was a fluke because Lebron bitched out and averaged like 17ppg.
Had the Mavs and Thunder switched years with their best squads, Thunder would have won in 2011 and Heat again in 2012 over the Mavs.
Nah because if the heat saw the thunder in 2011 LeBron wouldn't have choked against little bro kd like he did vs Marion who completely punked him and got inside his head.

It wasnt just the year 2011..like LeBron was going to choke in that year no matter the circumstances.. Like 2011 was some voodoo bad luck year for LeBron.

[I<3NBA]

Heat woulda had a threepeat if they faced OKC in 2011. OKC simply didn't have the defense for Lebron.

[Done_And_Done]

Not true.

The stars were aligned for Dallas in 2011. The fact that LeBron dropped the ball doesn't demerit their title.

[TylerOO]

jamez hurden

[Real14]

jamez hurden
:facepalm

[Beastmode88]

Not true.

The stars were aligned for Dallas in 2011. The fact that LeBron dropped the ball doesn't demerit their title.

Pretty much this. 2011 did dermit Lebron's legacy, one of the biggest choke jobs in nba finals history.

[Micku]

Injury bug could be an excuse, no?

2013 lost Westbrook.
2014 lost Ibaka. Got him back, but the Spurs train was already choo chooing.

[DMAVS41]

Mavs championship was a fluke because Lebron bitched out and averaged like 17ppg.
Had the Mavs and Thunder switched years with their best squads, Thunder would have won in 2011 and Heat again in 2012 over the Mavs.

So the Mavs get no credit at all?

:facepalm

Damn people are so stupid.

[Legends66NBA7]

People who claim championship(s) are flukes, lucky, or whatever term to slight a team in question need to be hung or shot publicly as far as I'm concerned.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Isn't the purpose of a 7 game series to find a true champion and not have those "fluke" 1&D games?

And I guess revenue.

[Haymaker]

Fluke my ass. They had one of the best and toughest playofss runs ever. Legit champs.

[Megabox!]

No James Harden and injuries to Westbrook and Ibaka.

[triangleoffense]

If you consider 2011 Mavs a fluke then 2006 Miami Heat is a fluke as well.

[pastis]

So the Mavs get no credit at all?

:facepalm

Damn people are so stupid.

dont take trolls like navy, pointguard or the biatch dresta seriously. these are just wade sucking trolls. better laugh about them

[Artillery]

But what about the Thunder's lone finals appearance?

Refs pretty much. That 2012 Western Conference Finals was shady as ****. Games 5 and 6 in particular - some of the worst officiating in the past few years. You could tell OKC had no business being in the Finals with the way the Heat dominated them. Spurs-Heat would have been much more competitive as was proven by the 2013/2014 Finals.

[Chizdog]

Spurs-Heat would have been much more competitive as was proven by the 2013/2014 Finals.

:lol

[DMV2]

So the Mavs get no credit at all?

:facepalm

Damn people are so stupid.
They're only getting credit because they won. They lose, which they should have, they don't get any credit at all.

If Bran wasn't a pvssy, had an ounce of heart in that series, Mavs don't win period. When Harden choked and struggled against Portland last playoff, he still put up 25 PPG. When Kobe chokes and struggles in a series, he'll still put up 25+ PPPG.

For a back-to-back MVP to drop from 26 PPG to 17.5 PPG, then that my friend is called quitting and giving up.

[Mr Know It All]

They're only getting credit because they won. They lose, which they should have, they don't get any credit at all.

If Bran wasn't a pvssy, had an ounce of heart in that series, Mavs don't win period. When Harden choked and struggled against Portland last playoff, he still put up 25 PPG. When Kobe chokes and struggles in a series, he'll still put up 25+ PPPG.

For a back-to-back MVP to drop from 26 PPG to 17.5 PPG, then that my friend is called quitting and giving up.

You don't know what you are talking about, plain and simple.

The 2011 Mavericks were top 10 in offense and defense. Before Dirk went down with an injury for a period in late December early January they were 24-5 and beating very good teams. Butler went down a game or two after and they lost several games in a row that hurt their overall record. Once Dirk got healthy they went on a run where they won 18 of 20 and managed to salvage a 3 seed in a still tough Western conference.

To top it off those Mavericks got none of the breaks that many championship teams have received in the past due to opposing teams injuries. Portland, LA, OKC, and Miami were all fully healthy when Dallas beat them. On the other hand, Dallas was missing a top 4 contributor (Butler) for the whole playoff run and even lost a crucial backup in Haywood midway through the Heat series.

To sum up, that Mavs team was easily on pace for 60+ wins that year and only got the label of "fluke" because of a rough patch mid season that can easily be attributed to injuries. The rest of the myth comes down to the legend of the Lebron implosion, when in fact the Mavericks possessed one of the best Lebron defenders (Marion) and employed one of the best modern zone schemes that we have seen.

[triangleoffense]

The rest of the myth comes down to the legend of the Lebron implosion,

either way his meltdown was pretty legendary

what was that meme again he had 2 or less points for 4 consecutive 4th quarters? :oldlol:

[VIP2000]

They're only getting credit because they won. They lose, which they should have, they don't get any credit at all.

If Bran wasn't a pvssy, had an ounce of heart in that series, Mavs don't win period. When Harden choked and struggled against Portland last playoff, he still put up 25 PPG. When Kobe chokes and struggles in a series, he'll still put up 25+ PPPG.

For a back-to-back MVP to drop from 26 PPG to 17.5 PPG, then that my friend is called quitting and giving up.

He didn't quit or give up. He just played very passive, like he wasn't sure if he was the 1st option or not (this was back when Wade was still averaging like 25 ppg). There's a difference.

[Breezy]

Uh...

Round 1. Aldridge and Roy
Round 2. Kobe and Gasol
Round 3. Westbrook and Durant
Finals: Lebron and Wade.

And Dirk was the best player in every single series. a fluke doesn't get you passed that.

[masonanddixon]

Fluke my ass. They had one of the best and toughest playofss runs ever. Legit champs.

Exactly. Dallas dropped 5 games in the postseason.

A fluke would be something like Miami's shitty titles in 2012-2013 where they barely beat geriatric squads en route to the two least impressive championships in sports history.

[qrich]

Maybe if all series were single elimination, but whoever says that needs to be shot, revived, and shot again.

[KungFuJoe]

Who actually says the Mavs title was a fluke? Besides clueless idiots, that is.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Harden pushed the Thunder over the top v.s. San Antonio.

Dirk's Mavs beat an old, decrepit, disinterested defending champ Lakers. And a Miami Heat team that saw arguably their best player completely quick during the series when if it wasn't for a massive game 2 collapse ... would've been up 3-0.

They didn't defend their title either. So yea, it was kind of flukey. A one, and done kinda thing.

[ArbitraryWater]

They're only getting credit because they won. They lose, which they should have, they don't get any credit at all.

If Bran wasn't a pvssy, had an ounce of heart in that series, Mavs don't win period. When Harden choked and struggled against Portland last playoff, he still put up 25 PPG. When Kobe chokes and struggles in a series, he'll still put up 25+ PPPG.

For a back-to-back MVP to drop from 26 PPG to 17.5 PPG, then that my friend is called quitting and giving up.

Lmao.... what kind of logic is this though. You do know 25+ ppg on <40% shooting is alot worse than 18 ppg on (<)40% shooting?


Harden pushed the Thunder over the top v.s. San Antonio.

Dirk's Mavs beat an old, decrepit, disinterested defending champ Lakers. And a Miami Heat team that saw arguably their best player completely quick during the series when if it wasn't for a massive game 2 collapse ... would've been up 3-0.

They didn't defend their title either. So yea, it was kind of flukey. A one, and done kinda thing.

Man, those losses in OKC 2012 hurt... refs took them away from us. We could have won that series tbh.

[DMAVS41]

They're only getting credit because they won. They lose, which they should have, they don't get any credit at all.

If Bran wasn't a pvssy, had an ounce of heart in that series, Mavs don't win period. When Harden choked and struggled against Portland last playoff, he still put up 25 PPG. When Kobe chokes and struggles in a series, he'll still put up 25+ PPPG.

For a back-to-back MVP to drop from 26 PPG to 17.5 PPG, then that my friend is called quitting and giving up.

So literally days earlier he dominated the best defensive team in the league and shut down the MVP. And then he plays Dallas and we force him off the ball almost every time down after game 1 and he goes into a shell essentially...

And you are saying we deserve no credit?

I totally agree the Mavs got "lucky" that Lebron did that, but we also caused him to do that.

We also had a team that didn't go away. Dirk and Terry made huge basket after huge basket all series. That wasn't lucky. That was two guys stepping up and not going down.

[FLDFSU]

Didn't that Dallas team blow out the Lakers? Wasn't it basically a sweep?

LOL how is that a fluke championship?

ISH :facepalm

[LoneyROY7]

No way to be a fluke NBA champion. Too many postseason games.

[SpecialQue]

For the record, I obviously don't believe that bullshit about the Mavs championship being a fluke. They completely dismantled their competition in the west (and embarrassed the defending champs in the process), and convincingly beat the Heat when they met in the finals. Lebron playing like shit is a lame excuse...he was healthy. Just because he played like a retard doesn't mean that this championship "doesn't count," just like Ray's three doesn't discount Lebron's game 7.

At the time, when I was watching the series with my own eyes, the Thunder beating the Spurs seemed wrong, like the shittier team somehow fluked their way to a finals appearance due to some of the shadiest reffing I'd ever seen. Since then, regardless of injuries, the Thunder's post season appearances have been crap. You can pull the injury excuse for the year Westbrook got hurt, but look at their series against the Grizzlies. They had NO business advancing, and only won because a role player went bonkers (just like their 6th man did in 2011) and saved KD, and then the Grizzlies had their best player suspended for the deciding game.

My thesis is that regardless of the talent involved the Thunder are a fraud team that people should feel ashamed rooting for. They had no business even having their single finals appearance. That spot rightfully belonged to the Spurs.

[dirkdiggler41]

The ESPN experts was 6 vs. 6 on who would win when it came to the mavs vs. blazers. It was 0 experts who said the Mavs would win against the lakers, while 14 of them belived the Lakers would beat the mavs. Mavs won 4-0.
They only expected the Mavs to win against the Thunder, the rest was supposed to to losses. Now people are calling the champs a fluke.

[RightTwoCensor]

To simply put it, the Mavs title wasn't a fluke, same as the Heat's title a year later.

You can't blame James Harden on the Thunder's loss, just like you can't blame Lebron James for the Heat's loss. Neither of them guarded the opposing team's MVP for majority of the game.

Harden didn't have a great NBA Finals, but people are overreacting about it simply because they overreacted about Lebron the previous year. Lebron didn't even have a horrible Finals series, he just differed too a Dwayne Wade who was arguably the 1B best player in that series with Dirk.

[Wade's Rings]

To simply put it, the Mavs title wasn't a fluke, same as the Heat's title a year later.

You can't blame James Harden on the Thunder's loss, just like you can't blame Lebron James for the Heat's loss. Neither of them guarded the opposing team's MVP for majority of the game.

Harden didn't have a great NBA Finals, but people are overreacting about it simply because they overreacted about Lebron the previous year. Lebron didn't even have a horrible Finals series, he just differed too a Dwayne Wade who was arguably the 1B best player in that series with Dirk.

Lebron choked had he shown up the Heat would have swept the Mavs.

[FLDFSU]

Lebron choked had he shown up the Heat would have swept the Mavs.

The same could be said regarding Wade last year.

If Wade didn't Choke against the Spurs, the Heat would have 3peated.

[RightTwoCensor]

Lebron never choked in 2011, he just didn't have a clear role in that series. When Wade is playing that well vs. his match-up you shouldn't take touches away from him. The Mavericks and Dirk especially were just better at the end of the day. All you could do it shake their hand and move on. When you really think about it, Lebron wasn't as phased by losing to Dirk as he was getting criticized by the national media.

As for Wade last postseason, he just didn't look healthy. The Heat as a collective unit lost that game on the defensive end, even though Lebron did show up big time on the offensive end.

[JT123]

The same could be said regarding Wade last year.

If Wade didn't Choke against the Spurs, the Heat would have 3peated.
In b4 excuse about some imaginary Wade injury. That's the go to excuse for every shit performance Wade has ever had in the playoffs.

[T_L_P]

The same could be said regarding Wade last year.

If Wade didn't Choke against the Spurs, the Heat would have 3peated.

Past his prime Wade performing better than he did would not have stopped the biggest domination in Finals history (largest margin of victory ever).

Stop living in dream land.

[FLDFSU]

Past his prime Wade performing better than he did would not have stopped the biggest domination in Finals history (largest margin of victory ever).

Stop living in dream land.

Wade playing his best with the production of Lebron (and even Bosh) and the Heat wins.

[T_L_P]

Wade playing his best with the production of Lebron (and even Bosh) and the Heat wins.

2014 Finals average margin of victory: 18 PPG

Wade 13-14 Regular Season 19 PPG

13-14 Eastern Playoffs: 18.7 PPG

13-14 NBA Finals: 15.2 PPG

He would have needed to average 33.3 PPG in the Finals in order to win.

That's not, "Not chocking." That's 31 year old, injured, past his prime Wade doing historical things in an NBA Finals.

So no, if Wade didn't choke, the Heat would have still been dismantled.

[FLDFSU]

2014 Finals average margin of victory: 18 PPG

Wade 13-14 Regular Season 19 PPG

13-14 Eastern Playoffs: 18.7 PPG

13-14 NBA Finals: 15.2 PPG

He would have needed to average 33.3 PPG in the Finals in order to win.

That's not, "Not chocking." That's 31 year old, injured, past his prime Wade doing historical things in an NBA Finals.

So no, if Wade didn't choke, the Heat would have still been dismantled.

Exactly. That is the point. Wade at his best is not a even a 28 ppg player. Wade at his best is best is a 30+ ppg player. At no point during that season was Wade playing at his best.

If we are going to hold Lebron to such high standards I fail to see why "a top 3 player in the NBA" Wade shouldn't we held to one either.

Wade was the biggest reason why Lebron had "the most stacked team of all time" was he not?

[T_L_P]

Exactly. That is the point. Wade at his best is not a even a 28 ppg player. Wade at his best is best is a 30+ ppg player. At no point during that season was Wade playing at his best.

If we are going to hold Lebron to such high standards I fail to see why "a top 3 player in the NBA" Wade shouldn't we held to one either.

Wade was the biggest reason why Lebron had "the most stacked team of all time" was he not?

You said if Wade didn't choke they would have won the Finals. Wade not choking at 31 years old is like 25/5/5 at best. He's not a top 5 all time talent like LeBron, and he wasn't in his prime in 2014 like Bron was in 2011.

If Wade didn't choke, the Heat still get smacked. Wade did choke, and so did LeBron (a large portion of his points were garbage time stat-padding and his defense was absurdly terrible).

If you honestly think 31 year old Wade could be or should be capable of putting up 33 PPG in a series, you're off your nut.