The 2010-2011 NBA Season is now over, and the Miami Heat are NOT your 2010-2011 NBA Champions. Sounds good to me! Just kidding. Well sort of. In a season that was one of the most anticipated as long as I can remember, the NBA has solidified itself as a brand that is back. With more stars than any other sport, and of course the most polarizing storyline in all of sports - the Miami Heat - the league is in great position today, and moving forward.
And in a season where so much was made of the Miami Heat, and most notably, LeBron James, the story of the Dallas Mavericks and, especially, Dirk Nowitzki deserves top billing. While the Heat dealt with several off the court issues and countless psycho-analysis, Nowitzki played one of the greatest NBA Finals yours truly has seen since the days of Michael Jordan. Simply phenomenal. And as we take a look back on the 2010-2011 season, here is one last cheers to the Dallas Mavericks organization on an effort that will be memorialized for seasons to come. Here are some other moments yours truly will remember from the 2010-2011 NBA Season:
- LeBron James announcing that he was “taking his talents to South Beach”. Ugh…
- The Miami Heat celebration. Double ugh…
- The anticipated Celtics/Heat opener and hearing the Celtic fans chant “Ov-er-Ra-ted” at LeBron and company. A rare moment for myself enjoying listening to a Boston crowd.
- Watching Kevin Love transform into Wilt Chamberlain against my New York Knicks, and going for a remarkable 30-30 game.
- Blake Griffin having his coming out party, and his superstar initiation ceremony game into stardom, by throwing down dunk after dunk, specifically one om Timofey Mozgov, and another sweet one on Danilo Gallinari…
- …and how nasty was that dunk on Mozgov? Wow.
- LeBron James’ return to Cleveland, and the monster game he had in his return…
- …and the way the Cleveland Cavaliers refused to fight back in front of a passionate crowd that night.
- The Knicks having yet another wonderful week scheduled by the NBA, and coming up short three times against top opponents.
- And oh yeah, ESPN refuses to show this, but how about my man Amar’e Stoudemire dunking on LeBron down in Miam…er South Beach (that is the cool phrase for the place, right?).
- The Los Angeles Lakers destroying the Cleveland Cavaliers by 55 points.
- The Melodrama, and the constant debate of what is a fair trade to acquire Carmelo Anthony.
- The Spurs switching up their style, and becoming the best regular season team in the NBA.
- …then bowing out to the exciting Memphis Grizzlies.
- Kevin Garnett being ousted for his over-the-top antics by Spike Lee, and Charlie Villanueva.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers losing 28 straight games…a North American record. Maybe they were burning Cavs jerseys after “The Decision”, and not necessarily LeBron jerseys?
- The sudden resigning of Jerry Sloan.
- The Heat constant drama. Whether it be their inability to beat teams over .500, their inability to close games, or their inability to be liked, it was all Heat, all the time!
- Serge Ibaka being robbed in the dunk contest in one of the greatest dunks ever in the history of the contest.
- JaVale McGee’s side-by-side backboard dunk.
- Demar Derozan insane athletic ability.
- And of course Blake Griffin, period.
- And yes, a very entertaining dunk contest this year.
- Carmelo Anthony finally being traded to my New York Knicks for what seems like bunch of players, staff, cab drivers, hot dog vendors, shares of Bank of America, Ellis Island, Nathan’s, and anything else Jim Dolan could have sent to Denver to land the superstar.
- …and those awesome commercials welcoming home Carmelo Anthony.
- …and yes, the night he debuted. Awesome night.
- …and while we’re at it, the year the Garden returned.
- The sudden trade of Deron Williams to the Nets. And the realization that the Nets and their move to Brooklyn is very real.
- Nick Young’s insane 360 layup. A for sure nominee for DP “That Was The Greatest Play You Will Ever See By a Shortstop” Award.
- Chris Bosh crying after more regular season Heat struggles.
- And crying again, this time in public, on the floor, on his knees, after the final game of the NBA Finals.
I like that he cares, but that’s embarrassing.
- Playoff basketball finally returning to Madison Square Garden.
- The Knicks being swept, yet, battling through all their injuries to make it a “close sweep”.
- The Heat warming up (no pun intended), and LeBron James becoming superman in the NBA Playoffs.
- The Los Angeles Lakers being swept by the Mavericks in the 2nd round.
- An amazing, amazing, amazing, NBA Finals.
- Despite shrinking from the moment, which included an 8 point performance, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade havj g the audacity to poke fun at Nowitzki’s illness in game 4, otherwise known as “cough gate.”
- And finally, Dirk Nowitzki’s amazing run that captivated a nation through his will to win, his sheer determination, and most importantly, his likeable humility.