The 2011 NBA Finals remain one of the most iconic and competitive playoff series in NBA history. Of course, the Mavs were the ones to prevail with the NBA championship, led by the heroics of Dirk Nowitzki. He had stellar performances throughout the entire series, with one of the most notable coming in Game 2. To this day, Nowitzki’s final shot in that game still lives in the memory of Miami Heat legend Udonis Haslem.
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From once-rivals on the court to coworkers off the court, Haslem and Nowitzki have put their past behind them and are both analysts on the NBA on Prime. The two bring tremendous knowledge surrounding the game for fans at home. At the same time, they’re able to give viewers a taste of what it’s like behind the scenes in the NBA.
NBA on Prime recently had their Nightcap segment, pitting Haslem and Candace Parker against Nowitzki and Swin Cash. Taylor Rooks proceeded to ask the former NBA players questions about their careers. When it came to Nowitzki’s turn, Rooks’ question centred around his game-winner in Game 2 of the 2011 NBA Finals.
“You drove to the basket for the game-winning finger roll. Who was late to help on defense?” Rooks asked.
Nowitzki couldn’t contain his smile as he knew what Rooks was trying to do. After a bit of hesitancy, the 14-time All-Star revealed the one responsible for that defensive mishap was none other than Haslem. It didn’t take long for Haslem to reveal the inside information on what really went down.
“Me and Spo almost got in a fistfight. That was supposed to be my defensive assignment, and right before we came out of the huddle, Spo said, ‘CB, you take Dirk.’ I was pissed off from that point on. Yeah, I was late because I should have been on Dirk the whole time,” he revealed.
The Heat typically gave Haslem the Nowitzki assignment. However, for this specific play, Erik Spoelstra put him on Tyson Chandler and Chris Bosh on Dirk. Chandler stood in the dunker’s spot, which prevented Haslem from playing the help defense he wanted to. By the time he got to Dirk, the ball was already going in the basket.
DIRK HITS THE GAME WINNER#MFFL | #2011Rewind pic.twitter.com/G4BuiHamH1
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 11, 2020
In hindsight, that moment was arguably the turning point in the series. At the time, the Mavericks were down 0-1. Dallas was down as much as 15 points in the fourth quarter alone. An offensive frenzy led by Nowitzki and Jason Terry propelled the Mavericks to an improbable win.
Dallas needed that win as they would go on to lose Game 3 in Dallas. However, the next three games would result in Mavericks wins, including the decisive title-clinching victory in Game 6.
Perhaps if Haslem makes that defensive rotation in time, Nowitzki misses, and the Mavericks fall 0-2. The Heat could’ve won three championships in a row, which could have impacted LeBron James’ decision to leave, amongst other things. Instead, it is all simply a world of what-ifs.
