Every NBA team's best iteration ever

Every NBA team’s best iteration ever

PORTLAND, OR - 1987: Head Coach Pat Riley leads Magic Johnson #32, Byron Scott #4, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 during a game played circa 1987 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1987 NBAE (Photo by Brian Drake/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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MIAMI, FL – JUNE 12: Dirk Nowitzki #41 of the Dallas Mavericks celebrates deafeating the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2011 NBA Finals on June 12, 2011 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Dallas Mavericks: 2010-11

After failing to make the playoffs for a decade, the Mavericks became one of the NBA’s best teams throughout the 2000s. Led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks won at least 50 games for a decade straight, but were never able to win that elusive championship, coming closest in 2006 when they made the Finals, but lost to the Miami Heat in six games. The Mavericks continued to win in the regular season, but only won one series in the four years following their Finals defeat. In 2007, they looked like the best team in the league, winning 67 games as Nowitzki won his first MVP award, though they quickly fell to the We Believe Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2011, though, everything fell perfectly into place. Still led by Nowitzki, but also featuring an abundance of solid veterans including Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Tyson Chandler, and Shawn Marion, the Mavericks went 57-25. In the Playoffs, they managed to defeat the Trail Blazers, the defending champion Lakers, the up and coming Thunder, and the Heatles in order to win their first title.

Throughout the playoffs, Nowitzki gave one of the best postseason performances ever, willing the team to victory night after night. He did not do it alone, though as Chandler was a great rim protector all year long, leaving DeShawn Stevenson and Marion to take care of perimeter threats. Offensively, in addition to Dirk, J.J. Barea flummoxed opposing defenses while Kidd, Terry, Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic knocked down 3-pointer after 3-pointer. Unfortunately, their title is seen as a bit of a fluke in light of LeBron’s less than stellar Finals performance, but this team was the real deal, a more than worthy championship winner.

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