The Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals, 4-2.
This was an impressive task given the Heat’s “Big 3,” featuring LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Several aspects of the Mavericks made them formidable opponents.
One of the facets of this team was their elite defense, which Mark Cuban recently highlighted on Patrick Beverley’s podcast.
According to Cuban via Legion Hoops, “Throw a zone against LeBron. All you have to do is get him to hesitate.”
Mark Cuban says running a zone attributed to beating Miami in 2011 NBA Finals.
“Throw a zone against LeBron. All you have to do is get him to hesitate. He always wants to make the right basketball play. When you’re facing a zone and you have to read what they’re doing. That… pic.twitter.com/H4BidHVQAc
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 31, 2023
Cuban believed this zone was one of the defining parts of this series, contributing to the Mavericks’ ultimate victory.
Throughout the series, James averaged just 17.8 points per game, putting him behind both Bosh and Wade.
While Wade and Bosh are elite players in their own right, James was the best of the three heading into the finals.
Cuban’s team was able to shut down James, allowing their offense to focus on scoring rather than seeing a James masterclass.
This allowed Dirk Nowitzki to have a fantastic series, averaging 26 points and 9.7 rebounds en route to an NBA Finals MVP award.
The 2011 NBA Finals will not soon be forgotten by fans across the world.
The Mavericks were able to do something that very few teams have done by shutting James down.
His game has evolved a lot since 2011, and he continues to be one of the best players to ever play the game.
Can the Mavericks recapture the magic in 2023 that they were able to find in 2011?
Luka Doncic is now in the Nowitzki role for this team who look to make a run back to the finals.
NEXT:
Mark Cuban Reveals Wild Reason He’s Traded Players Away From Mavericks
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